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SALESMANSHIP 

FOR 
WOMEN 


Salesmanship  for 
Women 


Gleanings  from  an  experience  of  years  in  handling  the  sales 

problems  of  women  in  the  field.     A  complete 

analysis  of  the  fundamental  principles 

involved  in  a  sale. 

Advice  concerning  the  selection  of  the  right  article, 

preparation  necessary  to  become  successful,  and 

a  discussion  of  sales  principles  as  woman. 

kind  should  apply  them. 


By 
ADELAIDE  BENEDICT-ROCHE. 


Published  by  the  Author 

ADELAIDE  BENEDICT-ROCHE 

Cochranton,  Pa. 

PRICE,  ONE  DOLLAR  POSTPAID. 


Copyright  1913  by 
Adelaide  Benedict-Roche. 


A  tribute  to  the  unflagging 
energy  of  the  thousands  of 
American  saleswomen  in  the 
field  who  are  making  good. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Women  Especially  Qualified  to  Succeed  as  Repre- 
sentatives     ii 

CHAPTER   II. 

Personal  Appearance   29 

CHAPTER    III. 

Selecting  the  Right  Article  or  Goods  to  Represent .  34 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Belief  in  Your  Goods 40    i 

CHAPTER  V. 

Importance  of  Committing  Selling-Talk 43 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Building  the  Sale 51 

CHAPTER  VII. 

First  Impressions 75 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

The    Special    Representative — Sometimes    Called 
"General  Agent"  81 

CHAPTER  IX. 

How  to  Overcome  Objections 90 

CHAPTER  X. 

What  to  Do  When  a  License  Is  Required 96 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Conclusion    101 

Inspiration    105 


FOREWORD. 

MY  occupation  for  the  past  several  years  has  been 
helping  to  solve  the  sales  problems  of  saleswo- 
men. The  work  has  been  crowded  full  of  interest  and 
knowledge;  for  it  has  brought  me  into  intimate  asso- 
ciation with  all  the  varying  degrees  of  success  and  fail- 
ure and  the  contributing  causes  that  led  to  each. 

Long  ago  I  became  convinced  that  a  training  for 
salesmanship  as  practiced  by  woman  should  be  essen- 
tially different  from  that  required  to  fit  man  for  the 
same  profession. 

Men  are  verily  creatures  of  liberty — women,  so 
hampered  by  hide-bound  conventionalities,  that  it  is 
difficult  to  adapt  a  universal  application  of  the  sci- 
ence of  salesmanship  to  both  sexes.  More  and  more 
this  fact  obtruded  itself  in  my  daily  work,  and  made 
me  recognize  the  need  of  something  tangible  in  the 
way  of  salesmanship  for  women. 

I  cast  about  for  some  particular  volume  that  would 
meet  my  purpose.  None  was  to  be  found.  Persever- 
ingly  I  scanned  trade  journal  after  trade  journal, — 
book  catalogues  innumerable.  Everywhere  could  be 
found  evidence  that  salesmanship  from  the  viewpoint 


of  man's  requirements  had  been  ably  taken  care  of, 
and  the  knowledge  well  classified.  I  knew  that  the 
fundamental  principles  of  salesmanship  are  always  the 
same  whether  the  thing  called  a  "sale"  be  reared  by 
either  man  or  woman.  Still  I  realized  that  the  technic 
of  the  application  of  these  fundamentals  must  vary  ac- 
cording to  the  sex  of  the  seller.  I  wanted  something 
specifically  applicable  to  woman's  selling  problems,  and 
I  found  nothing. 

To  supply  this  deficiency  is  the  mission  of  this  book. 
It  does  not  seek  to  claim  originality  so  much  as  help- 
fulness. The  kindly  counsel  of  many  friends,  ex- 
pert in  selling,  has  helped  to  make  it  possible.  To 
these  the  writer  feels  a  deep  measure  of  gratitude  is 
due,  and  it  is  here  publically  offered. 

"SALESMANSHIP  FOR  WOMEN"  enjoys  the 
unique  distinction  of  occupying  its  field  alone.  If  its 
perusal  helps  to  stimulate  a  higher  degree  of  efficiency 
in  the  woman  in  the  field,  the  author  shall  have  been 
fully  repaid  for  its  production. 


CHAPTER  I. 

WOMEN  ESPECIALLY  QUALIFIED  TO  SUCCEED  AS 
REPRESENTATIVES. 

BOOKS  innumerable  have  been  written  upon  Sales- 
manship in  its  relation  to  man  and  his  efforts  to 
sell.  At  least  a  dozen  good  periodicals  base  their 
claim  for  existence  upon  the  help  they  impart  to  sales- 
men in  the  formulating  of  a  sale.  There  are  "House 
Organs"  galore  whose  pages  are  veritable  "correspond- 
ence courses"  in  the  art  of  selling.  Last  but  not  least, 
the  Correspondence  School  itself  advertises  its  pre- 
scribed courses  in  salesmanship. 

None  of  these  splendid  helps  openly  limits  their  in- 
struction to  "men  only."  Nevertheless,  such  articles 
mostly  have  been  written  by  Sales  Managers  or  veter- 
ans in  the  selling  game,  who  have  had  but  their  strug- 
gling brethren  in  mind  when  directing  the  volleys  of 
their  logic  and  epigrams.  Nowhere  in  all  this  mass 
of  literature  does  it  appear  that  woman  is  to  be  seri- 
ously considered — if  indeed  thought  of  at  all — as  a 
possible  competitor  for  honor  in  salesmanship. 

It  cannot  be  denied,  however,  that  she  has  already 

ii 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

entered  this  field.  The  past  ten  years  have  seen  her 
invade  a  great  many  avenues  of  barter  and  exchange 
formerly  thought  to  be  possible  only  for  men. 

"Invade"  is  about  the  best  word  we  could  select 
here  for  it  tells  most  of  the  indomitable  courage  dis- 
played by  the  gentler  sex  in  elbowing  her  erstwhile 
lords  for  positions  of  honor  and  trust.  To-day,  she  is 
the  mainspring  of  every  great  office  system ;  she  smiles 
out  at  us  from  Receiving  and  Paying  Tellers'  win- 
dows; her  signature  graces  many  a  check  when  the 
rough  cowboys  of  the  plains  get  their  monthly  wages 
for  "rounding  up"  on  a  two  thousand  acre  ranch ;  she 
runs  great  railroad  systems,  school  systems,  municipal 
systems  with  the  same  sang  froid  she  does  her  big 
touring  car.  Through  her  own  assertiveness, — cour- 
age in  the  face  of  her  very  sons'  stubborn  and  unrea- 
sonable opposition,  she  has  mounted  to  her  seat  of 
equality  with  man,  and  in  many  instances  has  proven 
his  superior.  It  is  openly  admitted  that  she  has  al- 
ready become  a  dominant  factor  in  the  realm  of  sales. 
Therefore,  it  is  only  justice  that  at  least  a  part  of  the 
instruction  which  the  science  of  selling  has  developed, 
be  directly  addressed  to  the  peculiar  needs  of  her  sex. 

So  far  as  the  writer's  knowledge  extends  this  has 
never  been  attempted  in  a  separate  work.  Let  the 
above  fact  serve  as  an  excuse — if  any  be  demanded — 

12 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

for  the  attempt  which  here  follows.  The  facts,  in- 
stances and  helps  herein  set  forth  have  been  culled 
from  a  continuous  experience  of  years  in  handling  a 
force  of  thousands  of  saleswomen,  scattered  through- 
out the  entire  United  States.  That  the  underlying 
principles  of  successful  salesmanship  are  the  same,  re- 
gardless of  geographical  conditions,  I  desire  to  assure 
you  in  all  earnestness. 


Women  are  admirably  adapted  to  become  success- 
ful selling  factors.  More  and  more  are  large  corpora- 
tions beginning  to  realize  this  fact  and  recruit  them  for 
their  field  ranks.  A  few  short  years  ago  the  female 
drummer  was  the  exception.  To-day  she  is  accepted 
as  a  matter-of-course,  brought  about  by  the  readjust- 
ment of  commercial  activities.  She  is  accorded  the 
same  respect  at  hotels,  given  the  same  careful  atten- 
tion by  buyers,  as  is  her  gentleman  co-worker. 

To  deny  womanly  charm  is  to  openly  repudiate 
one  of  Nature's  most  important  laws.  Certainly  it 
exists,  and  its  value  to  the  woman  who  is  selling  a 
product  to  the  sterner  sex  cannot  be  disputed.  This 
does  not  at  all  mean  that  she  should  either  openly  or 
brazenly  use  to  advantage  this  influence  which  exists 
within  her.  To  do  so  defeats  the  very  end  she  seeks 
to  accomplish.  It  is  impossible  for  a  woman  to  cheap- 

13 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

en  herself  in  the  eyes  of  a  buyer  without  excessively 
cheapening  the  product  she  sells.  There  is  a  power 
in  womanly  dignity  which  all  men  are  quick  to  recog- 
nize and  to  respect.  When  you  have  gained  the  re- 
spectful attention  of  your  prospect,  you  are  on  a  fair 
road  to  a  sale. 

The  point  I  wish  to  bring  out  is  that  since  this 
womanly  charm  does  exist  it  will  wield  its  influence 
in  your  behalf,  without  your  conscious  recognition  of 
it  at  all.  Nor  will  the  buyer  himself  be  cognizant  of 
the  fact  that  he  is  paying  closer  attention  to  your  argu- 
ment simply  because  you  are  a  woman.  Nevertheless, 
under  normal  health  conditions  of  both  parties,  that 
advantage  is  ever  yours.  I  merely  mention  this  in 
furthering  my  argument  that  women  are  most  admir- 
ably adapted  to  become  successful  in  the  art  of  selling. 
Again  I  wish  to  impress  upon  you  the  fact  that  to  at- 
tempt to  exert  this  power  consciously  tears  down  the 
structure  you  seek  to  build.  Simply  know  that  it  ex- 
ists, a  count  in  your  favor,  and  then  forget  it. 

Of  course,  it  is  distinctly  understood  that  anything 
done  to  enhance  the  personal  appearance  greatly  aug- 
ments this  magnetism.  Men  love  beauty,  cleanliness, 
attractiveness  and  harmonious  dressing  in  women.  All 
these  things  minister  to  the  ideal  of  womanhood  he  un- 

14 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

consciously  holds  in  his  mind,  and  upon  which  he  men- 
tally stamps  his  approval. 

But  it  is  not  alone  with  men  that  woman  exerts  sell- 
ing persuasion.  When  it  comes  to  dealing  with  her 
own  sex,  she  again  puts  man  to  disadvantage.  Wo- 
men are  not  bold  as  a  rule,  and  when  a  salesman 
knocks  at  the  door  she  continually  retards  his  efforts 
to  sell  because  of  her  natural  timidity.  Unconscious- 
ly there  lurks  in  her  mind  a  fear  which  prevents  her 
from  becoming  openly  receptive  to  the  facts  being  ex- 
pounded. This  fear  element  generally  induces  as 
speedy  a  conclusion  to  the  visit  as  politeness  will  per- 
mit. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Representative  be  a  lady, 
she  hastens  to  invite  her  in,  and  at  once  listens  to  the 
talk  with  interest,  since  she  and  her  visitor  are  upon 
common  ground.  It  is  all  the  better  if  the  article  for 
sale  be  a  household  necessity  or  wearing  apparel,  for 
here  the  Representative  may  develop  the  points  to 
comprehending  ears.  Every  woman  is  naturally  in- 
terested in  any  device  that  will  lighten  the  burden  of 
household  duties  and  give  her  more  hours  to  herself. 
If  it  be  something  of  adornment  for  the  home,  her  in- 
born aesthetic  nature  instantly  responds.  If  something 
in  wearing  apparel  producing  more  comfort,  better 
style,  a  longer  term  of  wearing  service,  the  bargain 

15 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

instinct  that  is  a  traditional  trait  of  woman  instantly 
asserts  itself.  But  mark  you!  The  mere  exhibiting 
of  the  article  itself  seldom,  if  ever,  induces  a  sale. 
Point  by  point,  step  by  step,  must  the  advantages  to 
the  purchaser  be  developed  by  a  logical  sales-talk. 
Then  as  interest  is  created  and  desire  manifests  it- 
self, the  clinching  argument  to  buy  NOW  must  be 
driven  home  with  eloquent,  convincing  force.  Thus  is 
the  science  of  salesmanship  put  into  effect  and  the  re- 
ward is  earned  because  certain  well  defined  steps  have 
led  up  to  the  end  sought — the  sale.  Those  steps  in 
their  elemental  form,  stripped  of  the  embellishments 
each  particular  sale  calls  forth,  will  be  treated  in  a 
later  chapter  entitled  "Building  the  Sale." 

A  splendid  appreciation  of  the  advantages  open 
to  woman  through  salesmanship  and  her  right  to  in- 
dependence in  taking  up  the  work,  was  recently  given 
by  Mrs.  W.  W.  Kincaid  before  a  convention  of  cor- 
setieres  at  Pittsburg.  The  subject  was  so  ably  ex- 
pounded and  the  thought  so  pertinent  to  the  purpose 
for  which  this  book  was  written,  that  I  have  secured 
her  kind  permission  to  re-produce  here  the  major  part 
of  it: 

"Womankind  may  be  roughly  divided  into  two 
broad  classes — the  useful  women,  that  is,  the  true  wo- 
men, and  the  dolls.  Useful  women  may  be  divided 

16 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

into  two  broad  classes:  The  women  who  are  merely 
useful — thoughtlessly,  conventionally,  habitually  use- 
ful— and  the  women  who  are  as  useful  as  possible; 
that  is,  the  women  who  in  calm  self-reliance  proceed 
to  use  to  the  best  advantage  all  the  powers  with  which 
a  beneficent  God  has  endowed  them.  You  who  have 
taken  up  salesmanship  are  in  this  latter  class. 

"Among  men  it  is  considered  unprofitable  for  a 
potential  railway  president  to  waste  his  powers  on  a 
janitor's  job;  and  now,  thanks  to  a  broader  civiliza- 
tion, it  is  coming  to  be  thought  allowable  among  wo- 
men for  those  who  can  do  large  things  to  do  them. 
You  are  yourselves,  by  your  very  connection  with  a 
responsible  firm,  examples  of  the  present  day  higher 
grade  woman's  economic  emancipation.  I  congratu- 
late you. 

"Why  should  one-half  of  the  human  race  be  eco- 
nomically barred  from  representation  in  this  great 
world  of  affairs  ?  Surely  in  all  departments  of  life  wo- 
men are  needed.  From  the  earliest  times  they  have 
been  contributors  to  our  present  civilization.  Why 
should  they  not  be  duly  recognized  as  fellow-contribu- 
tors and  be  paid  for  what  they  do  in  accordance  with 
what  they  accomplish?  Why  be  contented  with  re- 
flected glory  and  a  few  "honey  dovey"  words  of  flat- 

17 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

tery  or  appreciation,  even  though  the  words  be  true 
and  sincere? 

"We  women  want  more  than  this.  We  want  the 
right  to  be  recognized  as  individual  factors  in 
this  great  world  of  affairs.  We  want  the  right  to 
.broaden,  to  unfold,  and  to  develop  the  intelli- 
gence and  skill  God  has  given  us,  and  be  creative 
workers  not  only  at  home,  but  in  the  mart,  the  office, 
the  government — in  fact,  everywhere  that  our  ca- 
pabilities will  enable  us  to  do  well  whatever  task  we 
may  find  waiting.  We  ask  this,  not  as  a  usurpation  of 
man's  prerogatives,  or  to  lessen  or  curtail  whatever 
he  may  now  enjoy  in  the  way  of  rightful  personal  lib- 
erty or  opportunity ;  but  we  ask  it  simply  that  we  may 
be  able  to  share  with  him  the  cares,  responsibilities, 
and  anxieties  of  life  in  a  way  that  will  be  more  ra- 
tional and  efficient  than  we  could  should  we  spend  all 
our  lives  staying  at  home  alone,  darning  stockings, 
washing  dishes,  cleaning,  sweeping,  dusting,  and  rock- 
ing the  cradle.  These  things,  in  due  proportion,  are 
perfectly  right  and  necessary,  but  they  are  not  the  all 
and  end  of  woman's  existence. 

"There  is  no  more  reason  why  the  wife  and  moth- 
er should  confine  her  activities  within  the  four  walls 
of  home  than  that  the  husband  and  father  should  con- 
fine his  activities  absolutely  within  the  four  walls  of 

18 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

his  office,  if  he  have  one.  Every  mature  single  wo- 
man should  be  self-supporting.  Away  with  that  out- 
grown feeling  prevalent  now-a-days  solely  among 
snobs,  that  there  is  anything  praiseworthy  in  a  wo- 
man's being  economically  dependent  on  father,  hus- 
band, or  brother,  while  she  remains  practically,  if  not 
absolutely,  idle  and  unproductive!  All  hail  to  the 
sensible,  lovable,  useful,  admirable,  up-to-date  wo- 
man, who  takes  her  due  part  in  the  necessary  activi- 
ties of  humanity! 

"The  time  has  come  when  'wifey'  should  stop  de- 
voting her  brains  and  energy  to  the  saving  of  an  ex- 
tra ten  cents  by  her  darning  and  patching  in  order  that 
"hubby"  may  have  one  more  cigar  to  smoke.  "Wifey" 
will  much  more  wisely  work  and  think  until  woman's 
home  work  can  be  done  by  some  such  organization  and 
time-saving  division  of  labor  as  men  employ  every- 
where in  their  occupations.  The  "wifey's"  housekeep- 
ing then  will  take  only  a  little  of  her  time  and  she 
will  have  more  leisure  for  other  things — among  them, 
having  fun  with  "hubby/'  becoming  his  chum,  joyous, 
happy,  contented,  instead  of  his  housekeeper,  tired, 
irritable  and  cross,  the  willing  half  of  a  family  row. 

"Woman  must  stand  on  her  own  feet  and  herself 
work  out  her  own  destiny.  No  one  can  or  will  do  it 
for  her;  and  if  she  would  permit  it  to  be  done  for 

19 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

her  she  would  not  be  worthy  of  the  better  conditions 
when  they  become  hers  to  enjoy.  She  has  had  born 
to  her  many  gallant,  noble  sons,  who  love  her,  and 
there  are  sympathetic  fathers  and  loyal  husbands  who 
wish  her  God-speed,  and  will  lend  her  a  helping  hand 
when  they  see  she  needs  it ;  but  she  must  prove  to  so- 
ciety that  she  is  worthy  of  something  more  than  the 
position  of  either  doll  or  slave  if  she  would  expect 
other  recognition  than  that  now,  too  commonly,  ac- 
corded her: 

"Slowly  and  surely  through  the  centuries,  at  the 
point  of  the  bayonet  and  at  a  terrible  sacrifice  in  blood 
and  treasure,  mankind  has  demanded  of  the  indolent, 
unproductive,  dominating  class,  an  opportunity  to  en- 
joy the  privileges  and  economic  representaion  to  which 
its  service  and  sheer  humanity  entitled  it.  During  this 
long  hard  struggle,  which  even  now  has  only  been  par- 
tially won,  men  have  had  able  assistance  from  noble 
self-sacrificing  wives,  mothers  and  sweethearts  who 
asked  no  other  recognition  or  reward  than  men's  suc- 
cess. 

"The  women  have  toiled  on  patiently  and  uncom- 
plainingly, enduring  hardships  and  deprivations  that 
have  narrowed  their  horizon  and  made  them  less  self- 
reliant,  and  naturally  more  dependent. 

"Generation  after  generation  has  by  inheritance, 

20 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

training  and  education  enhanced  and  exaggerated  these 
deficiencies  in  the  female  offspring  and  eliminated 
them  as  far  as  possible  from  the  male;  so  that  now 
we  have  in  the  average  woman  a  tendency  to  shirk 
responsibility,  to  be  babied  and  coddled,  and  to  have 
no  definite  aim  or  object  in  life  beyond  getting  a  hus- 
band to  support  her.  What  has  she  ever  done  that 
should  render  her  exempt  from  economic,  industrial 
service?  She  surely  consumes  as  much  as  any  hus- 
band she  will  ever  get — under  present  conditions  prob- 
ably consumes  more. 

"Why  does  woman  suppose  that  some  man  will 
consider  it  a  high  privilege  to  burden  himself  for  life 
with  her  maintenance  if  she  is  only  an  idle,  extrava- 
gant doll  ?  In  that  case  she  contributes  nothing  what- 
ever to  the  financial  support  of  the  family,  and  unfort- 
unately, neither  general  society  nor  employers  consid- 
er a  married  man  entitled  to  more  pay  than  he  earned 
at  the  same  labor  before  he  married.  Husband  and 
wife  and  all  that  may  come  after  them,  are  supposed 
to  live,  move  and  have  their  being  on  what  heretofore 
has  sufficed  for  one.  When  the  wife  is  a  doll,  this 
frequently  cannot  be  done.  Where  the  wife  is  a  work- 
er, this  is  supposed  to  be  accomplished  by  her. 

"Such  a  wife  is  supposed  to  be  happy  and  con- 
tented, simply  to  bask  in  the  effulgence  of  her  ador- 

21 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

able's  beaming  smile,  while  out  of  the  cheapest 
materials  she  sets  before  his  astonished  gaze  a  meal 
that  would  satisfy  an  epicure.  Her  ability  to  make 
bricks  without  straw  must  be  her  long  suit — if  she  is 
to  receive  even  favorable  mention  from  her  mother- 
in-law.  Like  her  husband's  salary  she  is  not  supposed 
to  have  any  auxiliary  aid,  even  if  the  family  increase 
be  portentous.  Neither  does  the  husband  work  any 
more  hours,  nor,  in  many  instances,  have  less  enjoy- 
ment than  before  he  increased  his  responsibilities.  His 
wife  on  the  other  hand  is  simply  engulfed  in  econom- 
ics and  manual  tasks,  and,  in  many  instances,  degen- 
erates into  a  fretful,  sour,  unattractive  drudge,  in 
whose  society  no  intelligent,  progressive  man  would 
care  to  be.  Yet  there  are  people  who  contend  that  to 
change  these  conditions  would  cause  the  fabric  of  our 
present  civilization  to  crumble  and  wither  like  flow- 
ers in  the  oases  of  the  desert  at  the  breath  of  the 
dreaded  Simoon. 

"But  change  will  come ;  it  is  now  at  our  very  doors. 
It  makes  no  difference  who  prefers  the  old  conditions. 
They,  like  everything  else  outworn  must  step  aside  for 
the  law  of  progress  which  slowly  but  surely  replaces 
the  lower  with  the  higher.  Evolution  is  inexorable, 
it  reaches  everything,  and  it  works  toward  ultimate 
betterment. 

22 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"It  may  be  that  human  dolls  will  never  be  elimi- 
nated; but  never  before  were  they  so  unpopular  and 
never  before  were  average  women  so  able  or  so  self- 
reliant.  We  are  headed  toward  economic  independ- 
ence and  we  have  already  traveled  far  on  our  way. 
When  we  remember  the  broader  opportunities  en- 
joyed everywhere  by  women  to-day  as  compared  with 
those  of  even  a  hundred  years  ago,  we  have  much 
reason  to  rejoice.  Then  married  life  was  the  only 
occupation  open  to  women,  and  unfortunate,  indeed, 
was  she  who  must  always  prefix  "Miss"  to  her  name. 
Then  it  was  considered  a  disgrace  for  a  woman  to  be 
caught  reading  a  book  or  a  newspaper,  and  to  such 
as  were  so  caught  the  ignominious  title  of  "Blue-stock- 
ings" was  applied. 

"As  noted  a  man  as  Benjamin  Franklin,  who  cer- 
tainly did  as  much  as  any  of  our  Revolutionary  fore- 
fathers to  make  this  glorious  republic  possible,  had  a 
sister  who  could  neither  read  nor  write.  No  doubt  she 
was  as  ideal  a  house-keeper  as  could  anywhere  be 
found,  but  imagine  the  intelligence  of  a  man  to-day 
who  would  be  either  satisfied  or  happy  with  so  ig- 
norant a  domestic  paragon  to  share  his  monthly  sti- 
pend. Yet  the  average  man  still  thinks  that  an  intelli- 
gent, thinking,  cultured  woman  ought  to  be  perfectly 
happy  and  contented  in  the  same  old  routine  of  cook- 

23 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ing,  dishwashing,  and  drudgery  for  her  board  and 
clothing  as  was  Miss  Franklin  whose  brain  was  devel- 
oped to  no  other  mode  of  expression. 

"It  was  not  until  1861  that  the  first  college  was 
open  for  the  higher  education  of  women,  and  that  one 
was  opened  to  women  at  all  was  deplored  by  the  "old 
fogies"  of  that  day.  The  girls  "might  much  better  be 
married  and  rocking  the  cradle  than  attempting  to  pry 
into  matters  never  intended  for  their  limited  compre- 
hension and  to  usurp  the  prerogatives  of  man," — it 
was  said. 

"At  the  beginning  of  the  Civil  War,  two  cultured, 
educated  Southern  sisters  came  North  to  speak  on  the 
great  evil  of  slavery,  and  were  hooted  and  jeered  from 
the  platform.  "The  idea  of  women  daring  to  speak 
in  public !"  "It  was  preposterous !"  "They  had  much 
better  attend  to  their  domestic  duties  and  keep  in  their 
proper  sphere !" 

"Who  is  the  judge  as  to  what  constitutes  a  woman's 
sphere?  Are  any  criticisms  ever  offered  as  to  a  man 
getting  out  of  his  sphere?  No!  Not  even  when  he 
assumes  to  dictate  to  his  wife  in  matters  about  which 
he  knows  nothing.  I  contend  that  a  woman  has  the 
privilege  and  the  right  to  do  whatever  honorable  pro- 
ductive labor  she  can  do  sufficiently  well  to  create  a 
demand  for  her  service,  no  matter  where  or  what  it 

24 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

may  be ;  and  for  said  service  she  is  entitled  to  the  same 
remuneration  as  man,  providing  she  accomplishes  as 
much  in  the  same  length  of  time  and  does  her  work 
as  well. 

"In  the  case  of  many  of  you,  great  cataclysms  in 
your  lives  have  brought  you  into  direct  touch  with  this 
busy,  throbbing,  selfish  world,  and  in  sorrow  and 
tears,  and  under  great  stress  of  circumstances  you 
have  been  compelled  to  depend  upon  your  own  wits  to 
provide  bread  and  other  necessities,  not  only  for  your- 
selves, but  likewise  in  many  cases  for  others  dependent 
upon  you.  To  some  of  you  doubtless  this  change  came 
suddenly  and  unexpectedly;  and  being  cast  from 
an  atmosphere  of  love,  care  and  protection  into  the 
cold  air  of  the  work-a-day  world,  there  to  experience 
the  disinterested  indifference  of  strangers,  was  even 
harder  on  you  than  all  the  toil  and  labor  incident  to 
the  supporting  of  yourselves. 

"It  may  have  been  with  some  of  you,  as  it  was  with 
the  mother  of  a  precious  youngster  who  was  noted 
for  his  ability  to  spell  correctly  and  give  the  right  defi- 
nition of  words.  His  teacher  asked  him  to  spell  mat- 
rimony. "M-a-t-r-i-m-o-n-y"  was  the  immediate  re- 
sponse. "Now,  Johnny,  tell  me  its  meaning."  "Well, 
I  don't  know  exactly,  but  anyway,  Ma's  got  all  she 

25 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

wants  of  it."  If  such  be  your  case,  it  is  probably  be- 
cause you  made  a  vital  mistake  in  your  choice. 

"It  is  not  likely  that  the  inharmony  and  disappoint- 
ment were  due  to  the  fact  that  your  girlish  ideals  of 
what  you  felt  was  your  prerogative  as  a  wife,  were 
at  fault.  An  ideal  marriage  did  not  mean  to  you  a  life 
of  comparative  ease,  with  little  to  do  aside  from  mak- 
ing a  display  of  fine  clothes,  entertaining  or  being 
entertained  by  your  supposed  friends ;  you  did  not  wish 
to  be  a  restless  moth,  preying  on  society;  your  lover 
husband  did  not  go  down  in  the  unequal  industrial 
struggle,  either  into  a  premature  grave  or  degenerate 
into  a  tobacco-steeped,  cranky,  disagreeable  money- 
making  machine,  with  no  appreciation  of  aught  else 
but  dollars  and  cents.  You  are  business  women.  But 
many  marriages  have  gone  to  wreck  because  the  wives 
were  what  you  are  not,  namely,  because  they  were 
lighted-headed  dolls. 

"I  feel  deeply  for  you  who  have  faced  difficulties 
and  you  have  my  sincere  sympathy  in  your  struggles. 
Many  of  you  are  tugging  at  heavier  burdens  than  you 
should  carry  alone.  I  know  just  how  in  sunshine  and 
in  rain,  in  the  broiling  heat  of  summer  or  through  the 
ice  and  snows  of  winter,  sick  or  well,  disheartened  or 
elated,  successful  or  unsuccessful,  you  plod  patiently 
on,  missionaries  of  light  into  thousands  of  homes,  in- 

26 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

creasing  their  cheer  and  happiness,  because  of  the 
added  comfort  and  capacity  for  enjoyment  of  what 
you  sell. 

"I  know  your  disappointment  and  discouragement 
when,  tired  and  weary,  you  believe  your  hard-earned 
money  is  at  last  within  your  grasp,  and  yet  the  pur- 
chaser fails  to  keep  her  agreement.  Sometimes  the 
customer  has  unaccountably  changed  her  mind — a 
thing  too  many  women  think  they  are  at  all  times 
privileged  to  do.  Maybe  the  factory,  or  the  postof- 
fice,  or  the  express  company  made  a  mistake.  Maybe 
your  shipments  were  delayed  until  your  customers  can- 
celled their  orders.  I  am  familiar  with  all  these  try- 
ing situations,  for  I  have  personally  faced  these  same 
circumstances ;  and  there  is  no  experience  in  my  life  of 
which  I  am  more  proud  than  the  fact  that  when  I  was 
twenty  I  took  107  orders  for  corsets,  and  made  as 
many  dollars,  in  four  weeks,  working  only  a  few  hours 

a  day. 

*         *         # 

"The  coming  woman — the  ideal  woman — will  take 
her  place  by  her  husband's  side,  as  a  constant  com- 
panion, an  inspiration,  a  safe-guard,  an  ever-present 
helper  in  time  of  need,  discouragement  or  sorrow,  a 
participator  in  his  sunshine  or  happiness,  a  sharer  of 
all  his  aims,  hopes  and  ambitions — but  not  necessarily 

27 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

of  his  pocket-book,  unless  ill-health,  sickness,  or  mis- 
fortune make  such  dependence  necessary.  In  that  case 
it  should  be  his  good  pleasure  and  privilege  to  care  for 
her  tenderly  and  sustain  her  as  it  would  be  her  duty 
and  wish  to  provide  for  and  cherish  him  during  mis- 
fortune. 

"There  is  in  certain  quarters  a  foolish  pride  that 
feels  called  upon  to  apologize  for  business  enterprise 
when  exhibited  by  a  woman ;  but  I  have  yet  to  meet 
the  man  who  did  not  honor  and  respect  the  self-reliant, 
self-supporting  business  woman;  and  as  proof  that 
such  admiration  of  business  women  on  the  part  of 
capable  men  is  real,  I  can  point  to  some  of  the  happiest 
marriages  I  know,  that  have  resulted  from  business 
acquaintances. 

"You,  saleswomen,  can  cherish  a  sound  and  ration- 
al pride  in  the  part  you  are  taking  in  the  world's  work 
and  in  your  position  among  women ;  for  you  are  in  the 
van  of  that  growing  army  of  the  economically  inde- 
pendent. You  are  helping  place  woman  side  by  side 
with  man  in  rights  and  privileges  as  nature  has  placed 
her  abilities.  Success  to  you  always — and  to  her — and 
to  man,  her  equal  companion  and  lover." 


28 


CHAPTER  II. 
PERSONAL  APPEARANCE. 

WE  shall  now  discuss  the  question  of  what  is  the 
most  appropriate  dress  for  the  woman  who 
seeks  to  earn  her  livelihood  by  influencing  others  to 
purchase  what  she  has  to  offer.  We  can  do  no  better 
than  to  preface  our  remarks  by  the  words  of  the  poet 
who  thus  admirably  sums  up  the  requisites  of  a  busi- 
ness woman's  apparel: 

"In  words,  as  fashion,  the  same  rule  will  hold; 
Alike  fantastic,  if  too  new  or  old; 
Be  not  the  first  by  whom  the  new  are  tried. 
Nor  yet  the  last  to  lay  the  old  aside"  p 

£   ^  n  6*       i    d*vv*^ 

All  women  will  concede  the  advantage  of  a  pleas- 
ing initial  appearance.  We  must  first  secure  a  hear- 
ing before  we  can  present  the  merits  of  our  goods 
and  push  our  arguments  to  the  conclusion  of  a  sale. 
Many  a  lady  with  a  really  meritorious  article  and  a 
thorough  knowledge  of  her  goods  has  been  denied  the 
opportunity  of  coalescing  these  important  factors  be- 

29 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

cause  her  personal  appearance  so  off-set  her  magnet- 
ism as  to  prevent  a  favorable  conclusion  to  the  inter- 
view. 

It  is,  therefore,  highly  important  that  there  be  that 
quality  about  your  dress  which  pleases  rather  than 
repels.  This  does  not  argue  that  your  garb  should 
be  an  expensive  one.  That  in  itself  would  detract 
from  the  attention  of  the  article  you  seek  to  sell  be- 
cause most  people  would  recognize  it  as  out  of  place 
and  wonder  why  you  need  work  at  all  if  you  can  af- 
ford such  expensive  clothing.  Quiet,  tailored  simplic- 
ity must  be  the  keynote  of  your  dress.  The  thing  to  be 
brought  most  prominently  into  the  foreground  is  the 
thing  you  seek  to  sell,  the  wonderful  advantages  it 
possesses  and  its  usefulness  to  the  purchaser.  Any- 
thing about  your  personal  appearance  which  stands 
out  to  the  extent  of  detracting  your  prospect's  atten- 
tion from  the  selling  talk  to  yourself  is  detrimental 
to  the  development  of  the  sale.  A  soiled  or  "oily" 
face,  straggling  hair  or  finger  nails  in  half-mourning 
are  here  a  crime  for  which  you  will  pay  the  penalty. 

The  hat  should  be  unobstrusive.  There  must  be 
nothing  of  prominence  about  its  trimming  nor  must 
there  be  such  combinations  of  colors  as  to  make  your 
prospect  wonder  "who  on  earth  got  up  that  contrap- 
tion." Especially  in  dealing  with  women  is  the  ad- 

30 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

vantage  of  a  plain  tailored  hat  of  inestimable  value. 
Women  dearly  dote  on  millinery  creations  and  when 
you  sit  before  a  woman  prospect  with  a  study  in  trim- 
ming gracing  your  head,  the  prospect's  attention  cen- 
ters first  on  the  hat,  while  she  apparently  listens  po- 
litely to  what  you  have  to  say.  By  the  time  she  has 
satisfied  her  curiosity,  she  has  lost  some  of  the  vital 
points  of  your  sales-talk  which  she  necessarily  should 
know  in  order  to  arrive  at  a  favorable  conclusion. 

Practically  the  same  is  true  of  the  dress  itself  or 
of  the  outer  garment.  The  plain  tailored  gown  or 
outer  coat  in  quiet,  becoming  style  is  always  good  form 
and  instantly  stamps  you  in  the  mind  of  the  prospect 
as  having  good  taste.  This  in  itself  leaves  a  valuable 
impression  which  means  much  in  installing  yourself 
into  the  good  graces  of  the  prospect.  These  are  little 
things,  it  is  true,  but  they  mean  much  where  a  first 
impression  practically  decides  whether  you  shall  be 
granted  time  enough  in  the  presence  of  your  prospect 
to  develop  the  steps  incident  to  the  sale. 

The  less  jewelry  or  .personal  adornment  by  trinkets 
of  any  kind,  the  greater  the  chances  are  for  having  the 
prospect  focus  her  entire  attention  upon  what  you  are 
saying. 

In  the  matter  of  personal  appearance  you  cannot 
study  too  closely,  observe  too  accurately,  the  details 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

which  go  to  make  up  the  dress  of  the  woman  who  car- 
ries herself  in  quiet,  dignified  elegance;  yet  who  with- 
al chooses  only  the  simplest  and  most  unobtrusive 
modes  of  fashion. 

Personal  appearance  is  not  dependent  alone  upon 
proper  selection  of  dress.  "Fine  feathers  do  not  al- 
ways make  fine  birds."  Other  qualities  which  go  to 
make  up  a  right  personal  appearance  are  serenity,  per- 
fect poise,  graceful  manners, — thoughtful  considera- 
tion for  others  manifested  in  all  you  do  and  say.  There 
must  be  an  air  of  confidence  about  you  which  leads 
the  prospect  to  determine  at  once  intuitively  that  you 
are  trustworthy.  Rarely  can  this  trait  be  successfully 
simulated — see  to  it  then  that  this  laudable  requisite 
be  genuine  within  you. 

Let  your  countenance  always  reflect  that  serenity 
which  shows  power  held  in  abeyance — perfect  poise 
of  all  the  reasoning  faculties.  This  can  be  cultivated 
just  as  easily  as  you  can  learn  music  or  shorthand  or 
any  other  study  requiring  practice.  The  first  thing 
to  do  is  to  remove  every  vestige  of  the  fear  element 
or  misgiving  from  your  mind.  Realize  the  power  that 
is  within  you  because  of  the  perfect  knowledge  you 
have  of  your  proposition.  Think  how  much  better 
you  are  equipped  to  discuss  all  the  points — favorable 
points — of  your  article,  than  is  your  prospect. 

32 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Within  you  then  resides  the  power  to  lead  your 
customer  along  your  road  all  through  the  interview. 
Knowing  yourself  possessed  of  this  power,  why  should 
fear  assail  you?  Why  should  not  your  countenance 
reflect  consciousness  of  power,  which  brings  poise? 

Do  not  become  obsessed  with  self-consciousness. 
Act  naturally  and  freely.  Study  graceful  ways  of 
moving  about,  of  handling  articles,  of  sitting  and  aris- 
ing— of  standing  properly  and  easily.  Some  women 
fall  into  a  chair  like  a  bag  of  wheat  dropped  several 
feet.  Others  win  our  admiration  by  the  graceful,  easy 
manner  in  which  the  movements  of  the  body  are  con- 
ducted. All  these  things  are  amenable  to  more  and 
more  cultivation  and  are  worthy  the  best  study  of 
any  woman  who  desires  to  attain  the  largest  measure 
of  success. 


33 


CHAPTER  III. 

SELECTING  THE  RIGHT  ARTICLE  OR  GOODS  TO 
REPRESENT. 

THE  majority  of  women  take  up  selling  as  a  busi- 
ness because  some  firm  has  practiced  salesman- 
ship upon  them  to  the  extent  of  selling  their  proposi- 
tion. The  selling  may  have  been  effected  by  corre- 
spondence, or  through  the  visit  of  the  firm's  General 
Representative,  sometimes  termed  "Special  Represent- 
ative." 

A  few  women  decide,  possibly  through  necessity, 
upon  taking  the  agency  for  some  good  article,  and 
then  cast  about  for  what  appeals  to  them  to  possess 
most  merit.  Recourse  is  had  to  the  classified  columns 
of  newspapers,  magazines  and  different  trade  journals. 
They  become  absorbed  in  a  maze  of  startling  oppor- 
tunities. One  advertisement  reads,  "Grab  this  winner 
— nothing  like  it  under  the  sun," — another  tells  how 
"Smith  worked  four  hours,  took  twelve  orders  and 
made  $48" — another  advises  that  if  you  feel  you  are 
qualified  to  earn  $5000  yearly  to  write  immediately. 
Thus  is  the  gamut  of  opportunities  run  from  self- 

34 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

threading  needles  up  to  selling  automobiles  or  real 
estate. 

Most  of  these  advertisements  are  written  in  a  Bar- 
num  and  Bailey  style  of  diction  which  leads  the  un- 
sophisticated woman  to  believe  that  merely  answering 
the  ad  is  the  first  step  upon  a  long  road  of  prosperity. 

She  perhaps  writes  for  the  details  of  several  of  the 
propositions.  The  literature  and  follow-up  letters  are 
even  more  glowing  than  was  the  ad.  She  is  admon- 
ished that  only  a  spineless,  jelly-fish  person  would  re- 
fuse this  generous  offer  to  enter  the  millionaire  class. 
She  is  disappointed,  however,  in  finding  that  most  of 
the  articles  offered  savor  of  the  five-and-ten-cent 
counter,  with  perhaps  the  added  novelty  of  one  or 
two  additional  features  worked  out  by  inventive  gen- 
ius. She  notes  the  low  price  of  the  article — usually 
one  dollar  or  less,  and  begins  to  count  up  the  number 
of  individual  sales  she  would  be  obliged  to  make  in 
order  to  clear  a  fair  daily  profit.  Stripped  of  the  gla- 
mor of  the  sales  argument  developed  in  the  literature, 
the  proposition  does  not  appear  nearly  so  alluring.  Be- 
sides, most  of  the  articles  are  of  metal  or  some  material 
which  makes  them  "everlasting"  and  hence  does  not 
soon  permit  of  repeat  sales. 

She  wonders  if  there    is    really    anything    worth 

35 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

while  being  advertised  which  can  offer  her  the  right 
kind  of  inducement  to  take  up  its  sale. 

Believe  me,  there  are  numbers  of  them;  and  it 
shall  be  my  mission  here  to  help  you  to  select  the 
wheat  from  the  chaff. 

Knowing,  as  you  doubtless  do,  something  of  the 
relative  needs  of  your  community,  you  should  have  no 
trouble  in  selecting  from  a  carefully-considered  list, 
some  article  of  utility  for  which  a  market  can  be 
created. 

Do  not,  however,  make  the  mistake  of  allowing 
your  own  enthusiasm  for  some  particular  article  to 
warp  your  real  judgment  as  to  whether  the  article 
would  prove  popular  in  the  community  as  a  whole. 
Remember  that  the  primary  consideration  in  taking 
up  the  sale  of  an  article  is  to  make  the  work  profitable 
to  you — even  though  you  may  deplore  the  want  of 
discrimination  upon  the  part  of  your  customers. 

Any  article  to  merit  your  time,  attention,  study, — 
or  investment  if  the  case  may  be, — should  be  able  to 
stand  the  rigorous  test  outlined  opposite : 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 


THE 
ARTICLE 


RELIABILITY 

OP 
COMPANY 


ADAPTABILITY   - 


QUALITY 


BULK  OB 
WEIGHT 


REPEAT 
ORDERS 


COMPETITION 


TERRITORY 


PROFITS 


'1— Is  the  Company  well  rated  in  Dun's 
or  Bradstreet's  ? 

2 — Does  it  advertise  extensively  enough 
in  better  class  magazines  to  help  me 
make  sales? 

3— What  do  they  offer  me  in  the  way  of 
literature  or  instruction  to  help  me  sell 
.  their  product? 

1— Am  I  qualified  to  sell  this  particular 
article? 

2 — Is  it  needed  in  the  locality  where  I 
expect  to  offer  it? 

3 — Is  it  more  expensive  than  what  is 
now  being  used— and  if  so,  has  it  special 
advantages  to  offset  this? 

{1— Is  it  made  of  cheap,  shoddy  mater- 
ial, liable  to  give  dissatisfaction  and  bar 
repeat  orders? 
2— Is  its  construction  solid   and   sub- 
stantial or  weak  and  flimsy? 

Jl— -Is  it  too  heavy  or  bulksome  to  pro- 
hibit carrying  sample  easily? 
2— Will  the  goods  sold  weigh  enough  to 
I  eat  up  my  profit  in  expressage  or  freight 
I  and  cartage? 

(  1— Is  the  article  capable  of  being  sold 
\  often  enough  to  the  same  customer  to  in- 
l  sure  a  permanent  business? 

1— Can  I  successfully  meet  competition 
with  this  line? 

2— Is  there  enough  competition  now  oc- 
cupying the  field  to  make  sales  difficult  ? 

1— Do  I  get  exclusive  territory  so  that 
the  customers  I  make  by  my  own  person- 
ality are  mine  so  long  as  I  remain  with 

.  the  company? 

I      2— Is  it  extensive  enough  to  absorb  all 

I  my  best  efforts? 

1— Is  the  rate  of  commission  high 
enough  to  allow  me  a  reasonable  profit 
for  the  time  I  shall  expend,  the  class  of 
work  I  shall  do,  and  the  amount  I  am  re- 
quired to  invest? 


37 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Turn  this  searchlight  of  investigation  upon  the  ar- 
ticle you  are  considering.  If  it  satisfies  all  the  re- 
quirements outlined  above,  then  you  may  be  reasonably 
sure  that  properly  handled  it  will  prove  profitable. 

There  are  scores  of  manufacturers  putting  out  mer- 
itorious goods  answering  to  all  these  demands.  Made- 
to-measure  corsets ;  hole-proof  hosiery ;  enameled 
kitchen  utensils ;  dress  goods ;  cloaks  and  suits ;  books ; 
periodicals ;  soap  orders ;  toilet  preparations ;  womens' 
.undergarments ;  childrens  waists  and  other  garments ; 
groceries ;  knit  goods ;  vacuum  sweepers ;  fireless  cook- 
ers ;  correspondence  schools ;  mops,  brushes  and  polish- 
ing cloths ;  musical  instruments ;  insurance,  and  doz- 
ens of  other  high  class  articles  can  be  used  to  form  the 
basis  of  a  lucrative  selling  campaign. 

Individual  taste,  aptitude  and  possibly  previous  ex- 
perience must  be  the  guide  which  directs  you  in  the 
choice  of  the  article  you  shall  sell.  Supplementing  the 
above  must  be  a  careful  consideration  of  the  relative 
profits  each  has  to  offer,  and  which  meets  best  the  re- 
quirements of  the  entire  outline  discussed  in  the  fore- 
going pages. 

Decide  upon  the  line  you  desire  to  take  up,  and 
then  stick  to  it  until  you  have  given  it  a  thorough  trial 
and  have  proven  to  your  satisfaction  whether  its 
possibilities  warrant  your  continuing  to  sell  it.  Re- 

38 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

member  always  that  this  is  the  age  of  specialists  and 
to  become  proficient  in  any  line  of  thought  or  endeav- 
or, one  must  needs  give  it  the  best  that  is  in  her.  In- 
deed, most  high  grade  companies  to-day  embody  in 
their  contract  giving  you  exclusive  territorial  privi- 
leges, a  clause  prohibiting  you  from  selling  any  other 
goods  but  their  own.  It  is  only  justice  to  them  that 
you  handle  their  goods  exclusively.  As  a  rule  they 
give  you  in  the  form  of  instruction  the  best  thought 
that  master  minds,  drawing  princely  salaries,  can  form- 
ulate. They  expect  in  return  the  best  you  can  give 
them  in  the  form  of  growth  and  development  as  ap- 
plied to  their  product.  Therefore,  I  urge  again,  that 
you  become  a  specialist. 


39 


CHAPTER  IV. 
BELIEF  IN  YOUR  GOODS. 

THE  woman  who  takes  up  the  sale  of  an  article  usu- 
ally does  so  only  after  due  deliberation.  She  has 
carefully  considered  the  physical  merits  of  the  article 
itself,  its  adaptation  to  the  needs  of  the  community  in 
which  it  is  to  be  sold,  and  its  possible  expansion  and 
consequent  profit.  Having  satisfied  herself  upon  all 
these  points,  the  article  is  selected. 

From  this  time  on  it  becomes  your  adopted  pro- 
tege. Abiding  faith  in  its  virtues,  its  construction,  its 
superior  uses,  must  become  a  real  sales  creed  with  you. 
All  this  you  must  believe  so  unalterably  within  your- 
self that  your  very  words  and  actions  manifest  your 
confidence.  Real,  unadulterated  enthusiasm  is  as 
catching  as  measles.  When  your  prospect  perceives 
that  you  believe  heart  and  soul  in  your  proposition,  she 
becomes  inoculated  with  your  spirit  in  spite  of  her- 
self. 

We  will  assume  that  the  article  you  have  chosen  is 
one  that  would  catch  the  eye  and  incite  appreciation, — 
which  we  know  intuitively  can  be  used  by  humanity 

40 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

and  which  will  render  a  service.  Such  things  when 
first  brought  to  our  notice,  cause  us  to  involuntarily 
exclaim,  "Why  didn't  someone  think  of  that  before?" 
or  "How  have  we  gotten  along  so  many  years  without 
it?" 

Now,  Representative,  do  you  feel  that  way  about 
the  article  you  have  adopted  for  sale?  Is  there  any  of 
the  real  self-conviction  mixing  itself  with  your  sales 
argument, — or  is  your  talk  merely  the  babble  created 
by  the  vision  of  the  dollar  to  be  yours  in  the  end  if 
you  succeed  in  battering  down  the  opposition  ? 

After  all,  isn't  it  only  the  weak,  the  foolish  that  we 
can  convince  into  purchasing  anything  that  we  our- 
selves have  no  faith  in  ?  Are  those  the  sales  we  really 
feel  good  over?  Isn't  it  the  sale  made  upon  the  real 
merits  of  the  goods — the  conviction  that  service  and 
value  have  been  rendered  commensurate  with  profits 
received,  that  gives  us  the  real  elation?  How  many 
re-orders  are  ever  recorded  from  the  customer  lured 
into  purchasing  a  thing  through  the  oily  persuasion  of 
an  orator-saleslady? 

If  then  the  orders  which  you  value  most  are  sold 
upon  their  merits  to  customers  who  have  been  brought 
to  this  realization  because  of  your  earnestness  and 
honest  convincing  power, — how  important  it  is  that 
you  yourself  have  the  absorbing  conviction  that  no  oth- 

41 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

er  article  equals  your  own.  Mr.  Walker,  in  a  little 
pamphlet  recently  published,  conclusively  proves  that 
"Thoughts  are  Things."  If  thoughts  are  real,  tangible 
things,  influencing  the  thoughts  of  others,  how  much 
easier  will  be  your  labor  of  convincing  to  the  extent 
of  a  sale  if  you  are  first  convinced  yourself. 

Then  the^|*is  the  justice  to  yourself  to  be  consid- 
ered. You  i&ve  no  moral  right  to  take  money  for  that 
which  you  believe  in  your  own  heart  to  be  not  worth 
the  price.  No  company  can  afford  to  have  you  with 
them  unless  you  are  actually  with  them  in  all  that  the 
spirit  of  the  word  "with"  implies. 


42 


CHAPTER  V. 
IMPORTANCE  OF  COMMITTING  SELLING  TALK. 

MOST  high-grade  salesmen  readily  agree  that  a 
beginner  in  the  art  of  selling  should  prepare 
and  learn,  word  for  word,  a  comprehensive  "Selling 
Talk."  This  talk  should  be  a  carefully  prepared  anal- 
ysis of  all  the  advantages  your  article  possesses,  the 
best  points  in  its  construction,  and  most  important  of 
all,  where  it  will  save  your  prospect  money  or  add  to 
her  convenience  or  comfort.  In  the  preparation  of 
this  talk,  eliminate  as  much  as  possible  the  "I"  element. 
Bring  constantly  into  prominence  the  "You."  The 
most  vitally  interesting  thing  about  your  proposition 
to  the  customer  is  "What  service  will  it  render  me  ? 
What  advantages  will  it  give  me  which  I  do  not  now 
possess?"  Of  far  more  importance  to  her  to  have  the 
assurance  that  the  article  will  afford  her  perfect  satis- 
faction than  to  know  how  large  your  factory  is  or  how 
many  years  the  inventor  struggled  to  produce  the  fin- 
ished product. 

Here  is  a  test  you  can  make  for  yourself  bearing 
upon  what  I  have  just  written:  Meet  a  friend  some 

43 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

day  and  talk  flatteringly  of  yourself  for  fifteen  min- 
utes. Note  carefully  the  degree  of  interest  displayed. 
In  about  a  week  arrange  another  meeting  and  this 
time  talk  flattering  of  your  friend  for  the  same  length 
of  time.  Then  you  can  readily  decide  at  which  meet- 
ing your  friend  waxed  most  enthusiastic.  Human  na- 
ture is  always  the  same,  and  this  known  truth  exempli- 
fied above  must  be  woven  into  your  Selling  Talk. 

I  am  much  indebted  to  my  good  friend,  H.  C.  Dol- 
lison,  himself  a  past-master  in  salesmanship,  for  much 
that  appears  in  this  article.  His  thoughts  are  prefaced 
by  quotation  marks. 

"Have  you  ever  tried  to  write  out  a  definite  Sell- 
ing Talk?  It  is  really  surprising  how  much  positive 
benefit  comes  from  this  plan.  When  you  try  to  write 
out  an  exact  statement  of  the  proposition  you  will  find 
many  little  points  you  are  not  clear  on  and  you  will 
need  to  look  them  up  to  write  them  down  accurately. 
You  will  realize  how  much  this  will  help  you  when  you 
try  it.  Do  not  make  any  statements  to  a  customer  that 
you  are  not  prepared  to  prove.  Before  she  can  share 
your  own  confidence  in  your  line,  she  must  be  shown 
that  your  confidence  is  a  matter  of  fact  and  not  a  mat- 
ter of  faith.  Give  her  a  reason  for  the  faith  that  is  in 
you.  Can  you  do  this  clearly — concisely — effectively? 

"Lord  Bacon  was  right  when  he  said,  'Reading 

44 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

maketh  a  full  man,  conversation  a  ready  man  and 
WRITING  an  EXACT  man/  Do  you  wish  to  have 
your  statements  exact — explicit — definite — effective  ? 
Then  reduce  them  to  writing.  Trim  off  the  unneces- 
sary and  unimportant  statements.  The  mere  process 
of  transferring  your  thoughts  to  paper  helps  to  crystal- 
lize your  best  thoughts  into  definite,  tangible  forms 
that  will  constantly  recur  to  you  when  at  your  work 
and  greatly  increase  your  efficiency.  Your  success  will 
be  measured  largely  by  the  extent  to  which  you 
use  a  definite,  earnest,  positive,  convincing,  straight- 
forward Selling  Talk,  or  statement  of  the  merits  of 
your  goods. 

"This  statement  of  your  proposition,  commonly 
known  as  a  Selling  Talk — helps  to  make  the  sale.  It 
must  be  definite,  positive  and  thoroughly  convincing. 
It  is  extremely  important  that  you  know  what  you 
want  to  say  and  how  you  expect  to  say  it.  Extempor- 
aneous effort  is  not  satisfactory.  What  would  you 
think  of  a  minister  or  teacher  who  would  appear  be- 
fore an  audience  or  class  without  a  thorough  prepara- 
tion of  what  he  had  planned  to  say  and  how  he  had 
planned  to  say  it?  TO  KNOW  IS  NOT  ENOUGH ; 
YOU  MUST  KNOW  YOU  KNOW  TO  MAKE 
OTHERS  KNOW. 

"Some  of  the  largest  concerns  in  the  country  con- 

45 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

sider  this  matter  so  urgent  that  they  will  not  permit 
anyone  to  begin  work  until  that  person  has  first  memor- 
ized and  can  deliver  freely  and  convincingly  their  stan- 
dard Selling  Talk.  They  consider  they  have  no  time  to 
lose  with  those  who  will  not  take  the  trouble  to  master 
such  an  essential  feature  of  successful  selling  methods. 
Nor  is  this  a  foolish  notion.  The  largest  business  con- 
cerns are  large  because  they  have  proven  themselves 
efficient.  They  cannot  afford  to  insist  on  non-essen- 
tials. The  strong  emphasis  placed  on  mastering  the 
Selling  Talk  is  justified  only  by  its  tremendous  import- 
ance. It  is  absolutely  essential  to  the  best  success.  It 
has  been  repeatedly  demonstrated  that  under  all  cir- 
cumstances— with  all  classes — the  carefully  prepared 
Selling  Talk  is  most  effective.  It  sells  the  goods — it 
brings  in  the  profit. 

"There  is  a  vast  difference  between  slightly  adjust- 
ing a  positive,  logical  Selling  Talk  to  a  particular  case, 
and  that  of  making  every  case  special  without  a  rigid 
course  of  procedure.  Those  who  have  made  a  great 
success  of  Salesmanship  know,  absolutely,  that  they 
must  have  a  clean-cut,  positive,  definite  Selling  Talk 
memorized  and  at  the  tip  of  their  tongues.  Otherwise 
their  best  effort  results  in  a  weakened  miscellaneous 
conversation  which  does  not  get  anywhere  in  particu- 
lar and  lacks  real,  genuine  force  and  selling  power. 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"The  excuse  is  sometimes  given,  "I  would  not  want 
to  recite  a  piece  parrot  fashion."  This  is  a  fair  ex- 
ample of  accepting  a  partial  truth  for  the  whole  truth. 
She  has  actually  confused  the  MANNER  of  giving  the 
Selling  Talk  with  the  SUBJECT  MATTER  of  the 
Selling  Talk  itself.  She  has  confused  the  HOW  with 
the  WHAT.  Just  because  someone — some  time — 
somewhere  did  give  a  talk  in  parrot  fashion,  she  is 
willing  to  condemn  the  whole  plan, — the  plan  that  has 
absolutely  proven  its  merit  wherever  tried.  She  as- 
sumes that  this  is  the  only  way  the  talk  can  be  given. 
She  does  not  stop  to  consider  that  by  studying  a  talk 
until  its  thought  and  words  become  second  nature  to 
her,  she  can  use  them  with  perfect  freedom,  with  splen- 
did effect  and  with  genuine  Selling  Power. 

"Don't  forget  that  expression  "Selling  Power." 
Some  words — some  expressions — have  definite  power 
to  induce  sales ;  just  as  some  expressions — some  state- 
ments— will  retard  sales.  The  line  of  talk  of  that 
saleslady  who  just  visits  with  her  customer,  is  usually 
lacking  in  Selling  Power.  This  Selling  Power  is 
strongly  marked  in  the  crisp — definite — positive  state- 
ments of  your  Company's  literature.  Study  them 
faithfully.  Go  over  them  again  and  again  until  their 
thought  is  entirely  your  own  and  you  can  use  it  with 
real  Selling  Power.  Better  write  out  that  Selling  Talk 

47 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

and  memorize  it  to  make  sure  you  have  it  accurately. 

"After  memorizing  the  definite  Selling  Talk,  a 
little  practice  will  enable  you  to  state  your  proposition 
in  a  natural  and  thoroughly  effective  manner.  Let  us 
not  hold  too  strictly  to  our  previous  manner  as  the  final 
standard — it  may  not  be  so  valuable  after  all.  Rather, 
let  us  cultivate  an  efficient — -energetic — positive  man- 
ner that  will  keep  the  customer  alert  and  expectant. 
Such  a  manner  has  a  positive  influence  in  helping  the 
customer  reach  a  favorable  decision.  Study  carefully 
the  effect  of  every  statement  you  make.  Remember 
always  that  WHAT  YOU  THINK  AND  HOW  YOU 
THINK  IT— WHAT  YOU  DO  AND  HOW  YOU 
DO  IT— WHAT  YOU  SAY  AND  HOW  YOU 
SAY  IT — will  have  much  to  do  with  your  success  in 
the  sale  of  your  article. 

"Do  you  honestly  believe  you  could  sit  down  right 
now  and  write  out  a  Selling  Talk  that  would  grade  over 
50% — even  with  a  serious  effort?  Few  Representa- 
tives can  do  this.  Then  how  much  weaker  must  be  the 
usual  extemporaneous  effort.  Is  it  any  wonder  that 
the  orders  fail  to  come  more  rapidly  ?  A  good,  strong, 
convincing  Selling  Talk  comes  only  as  the  result  of 
much  study  and  effort.  THE  SELLING  TALK 
THAT  WINS  SUCCESS  IS  NOT  CHEAP— IT 
COSTS  STUDY,  EFFORT,  HOURS  OF  READ- 

48 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ING  AND  CONCENTRATION  AND  PRACTICE, 
PRACTICE,  PRACTICE. 

"I  have  in  mind  the  case  of  a  student  who  went 
out  from  college  some  years  ago  to  take  subscriptions 
for  a  book  during  the  Summer  vacation.  He  studied 
his  prospectus  and  really  thought  he  knew  it.  No 
doubt  he  had  a  great  deal  of  information  about  the 
proposition,  but  when  he  attempted  to  sell  he  found 
his  talk  did  not  produce  results — did  not  get  the  orders 
— did  not  bring  in  the  cash.  Being  determined  to  win, 
he  analyzed  the  situation  carefully  and  concluded  his 
weak  spot  was  his  Selling  Talk. 

"He  went  to  his  room  at  the  hotel,  locked  the  door,' 
took  up  his  prospectus  and  a  complete  copy  of  the 
volume  he  wanted  to  sell  and  faced  the  situation 
squarely.  He  resolved  he  would  not  give  up  until  he 
had  written  out  and  memorized  the  strongest  and  most 
perfect  Selling  Talk  of  which  he  was  capable.  He 
stayed  by  his  task  for  two  days,  taking  time  out  only 
for  his  meals  and  a  few  hours  for  sleep.  But  note  the 
result:  When  he  again  began  work,  he  found  him- 
self almost  invincible — he  found  he  could  sell  to  prac- 
tically any  person  approached.  As  a  result  he  came 
back  to  college  in  the  Fall  with  a  substantial  bank 
account. 

49 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"Perhaps  you  are  already  engaged  in  selling  and 
are  facing  the  same  situation  that  this  student  faced. 
Have  you  the  courage  to  apply  the  remedy  ?" 


CHAPTER  VI. 
BUILDING  THE  SALE. 

EACH  and  every  science  has  certain  fundamental 
principles  which  underlie  its  construction.  Upon 
these  principles  are  built  and  added  the  relating  facts 
which  complete  the  science.  Language  forms  a  good 
example  of  this.  The  seven  parts  of  speech  are  the 
fundamental  principles  Upon  which  the  whole  structure 
of  our  language  has  been  reared.  Electricity  with  its 
million  and  one  applications,  when  analyzed  for  its 
principles  gets  back  to  chemical  affinity,  the  volt,  the 
ampere,  the  static  quality,  the  dynamic,  etc. 

Salesmanship  being  admittedly  a  science  must  also 
have  its  fundamental  principles.  These  it  assuredly 
has.  Clothed  in  the  vernacular  of  present  business 
terms,  these  principles  are  called  "Steps."  The  word 
is  a  most  fitting  one,  for  in  building  the  tangible  thing, 
— a  sale — we  necessarily  mount  from  one  state  of 
knowledge  and  emotion  to  a  still  higher  one  until  the 
sale  has  been  consummated.  These  steps  in  the  order 
of  their  development  follow : 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Attention, 

Interest, 

Appreciation, 

Desire, 

Conviction, 

Decision, 

Action. 

By  all  means  commit  them  to  memory  in  the  logical 
order  given  above.  All  the  different  states  of  feeling, 
emotion  and  willing  embodied  therein  must  be  the 
experiences  of  your  prospect  before  you  can  hope  to 
land  the  order.  Having  them  committed,  with  your 
Selling  Talk  arranged  accordingly,  and  interpreting 
them  as  they  arise  in  your  customer,  give  you  the  clufc 
when  to  press  for  the  order — in  other  words,  to  arouse 
Action.  There  is  a  psychological  moment  in  every  sale 
when  one  step  merges  into  the  one  next  higher  up.  It 
is  fatal  not  to  know  when  that  psychological  moment 
has  come  for  Action. 

The  saleswoman  skilled  in  her  art  can,  upon  inter- 
viewing her  prospect,  at  once  adjust  herself  to  condi- 
tions as  she  finds  them.  She  quickly  ascertains  the 
mental  development  of  the  prospect,  and  proceeds  to 
open  her  talk  upon  lines  of  knowledge  common  to 
both.  In  following  the  steps  of  a  sale,  always  start 
upon  a  basis  of  facts  already  known  to  your  customer, 

52 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

and  then  build  upward  with  convincing  facts  she  may 
not  heretofore  have  been  aware  of,  but  upon  wnich 
your  Selling  Talk  enlightens  her. 

Mr.  E.  E.  Fowler,  Executive  Sales  Manager  for 
the  Spirella  Company  Inc., — a  firm  with  an  interna- 
tional reputation, — is  an  acknowledged  authority  upon 
Salesmanship.  In  a  recent  address  before  his  sales- 
women, he  analyzed  the  seven  fundamental  steps  of  a 
sale  so  comprehensively  that  I  importuned  his  consent 
to  allow  a  part  of  its  reproduction  here.  He  has  gra- 
ciously consented,  and  the  analysis  follows: — 

"One  difficulty  which  faces  him  who  would  teach 
salesmanship  is  the  fact  that  too  many  salesmen  and 
saleswomen,  so  called,  are  content  with  their  present 
knowledge  of  that  subject,  be  it  ever  so  small.  To  be 
content  with  what  we  know  today  is  to  shut  our  ears 
to  conviction  and  is  to  close  the  door  to  opportunity. 
We  must  take  the  knowledge  we  have,  add  to  it  from 
day  to  day,  improve  upon  it,  and  as  we  progress  it  is 
possible  that  many  times  we  must  unlearn  that  which 
we  had  previously  learned,  must  throw  aside  that 
which  we  had  previously  considered  good;  must  for- 
get some  ideas  that  we  have  held  in  high  esteem  in  the 
past,  because  with  the  acquisition  of  newer  and  larger 
knowledge  there  comes  the  need  to  make  room  for  the 
things  to  come. 

53 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"The  manufacturer  does  not  hesitate  to  discard  ex- 
pensive machinery,  even  though  it  has  been  in  use  but 
a  short  time,  just  as  soon  as  he  can  get  machinery  that 
will  do  that  work  better.  Just  so  in  our  work  as  indi- 
viduals. We  must  oft-times  throw  aside  treasured 
knowledge  of  yesterday  in  order  to  make  room  for  an 
application  of  the  better  things  of  today  that  have  come 
to  us  because  of  our  broader  and  deeper  study.  We 
cannot  be  content  with  what  we  know  today.  We 
must  be  prepared  to  unlearn  much  that  we  have 
learned. 

"One  phase  of  knowledge  particularly  valuable  to 
the  saleswoman  is  a  knowledge  of  what  it  is  that 
causes  the  human  mind  to  act  and  how  it  is  that  the 
mind  does  act.  We  spoke  but  a  moment  ago  of  the 
difficulty  confronting  the  teacher  of  salesmanship.  Is 
it  not  a  fact  in  your  own  experience,  if  you  will  be 
absolutely  honest  with  yourself,  that  in  the  beginning 
of  your  work  of  selling,  you  deemed  salesmanship  of 
little  importance  ?  We  don't  mean  that  you  discarded 
it  entirely,  but  you  felt  that  if  you  understood  your 
goods  you  could  sell  them  without  any  specific  study 
along  the  line  of  salesmanship  as  a  science  or  an  art. 

"Your  observation  has  led  you  to  some  conclusion 
upon  this  subject,  but  is  it  not  true  that  you  had  ac- 
cepted what  we  sometimes  term  "glittering-generali- 

54 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ties"  instead  of  specific  truths  in  connection  with  this 
subject?  You  recall  some  man  or  some  woman,  you 
said,  was  a  good  salesman.  He  could  present  his  sub- 
ject glibly,  possibly  eloquently,  perhaps  effectively; 
that  is,  in  such  a  way  as  to  induce  a  sale.  But,  did  you 
stop  to  think  that  any  specific  thought  had  been  given 
by  that  salesman  as  to  how  the  sale  was  to  be  made  ? 

"There  is  another  difficulty  that  faces  any  teacher, 
and  that  is  this:  The  hardest  person  to  teach  is  the 
one  who  is  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  she  is  ignorant; 
who  doesn't  know  that  she  doesn't  know.  To  illus- 
trate: Attempt  to  prove  to  the  unlettered  man  that 
some  common  phrase  which  he  has  used  from  boyhood 
and  which  is  grammatically  incorrect,  is  not  the  proper 
phrase  to  use  in  a  given  case  and  you  at  once  run  up 
against  an  obstacle  that  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  over- 
come. 

"We  are  not  criticising  this  man  for  his  lack  of 
knowledge  of  the  English  language  or  for  what  he 
doesn't  know  about  construction,  diction,  spelling  and 
grammar,  but  are  placing  before  you  the  difficulty  we 
have  in  showing  him  that,  when  he  uses  the  expres- 
sion: "They  hain't  no  such  animal,"  he  is  violating 
the  laws  of  English.  So,  in  teaching  salesmanship,  it 
is  difficult,  judging  from  our  experience,  to  convince 

55 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

some  people  that  there  is  such  a  science  or  a  need 
for  it. 

"Ignorance  of  certain  subjects  or  certain  forms  of 
knowledge  for  which  we  can  have  no  possible  use  is 
not  an  offense,  but  to  remain  ignorant  of  that  par- 
ticular brand  of  knowledge  which  we  need  to  use  in 
our  every  day  work  in  order  to  make  our  work  more 
efficient,  if  not  a  crime,  is  at  least  an  unpardonable 
offense,  and  should  be  so  considered  by  the  one  who 
remains  in  ignorance.  So,  if  we  can  arouse  in  you  an 
appreciation  of  what  there  is  in  salesmanship,  can 
arouse  in  you  an  appreciation  of  the  fact  that  there  is 
information  to  be  had  and  that  you  have  sufficient 
opportunity  to  study  this  subject,  then  should  you  fail 
to  grow  in  this  knowledge,  you  have  no  one  to  blame 
but  yourself. 

"False  opinions  held  by  unthinking  business  men 
have  also  stood  in  the  way  of  the  advancement  of 
salesmanship  as  a  science.  It  has  been  held  by  un- 
scrupulous business  men  in  the  past  that  the  best  sales- 
man was  the  one  who  could  sell  the  biggest  bill  of 
goods  to  a  customer  whether  the  customer  had  any  use 
for  these  goods  or  not.  These  men  failed  to  grasp  the 
fact  that  by  selling  goods  which  a  customer  could  not 
use,  they  were  tearing  down  instead  of  building  up 
business.  A  knowledge  of  salesmanship  will  not  per- 

56 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

mit  the  salesman  to  sell  an  article  that  the  customer 
cannot  use  to  advantage.  This  leads  up  to  the  ques- 
tion—"What  is  a  sale?" 

"Consult  your  Webster,  your  Worcester,  your 
Standard,  your  Century  dictionaries  and  you  will  find 
diverse  definitions.  For  our  purpose,  that  we  may 
have  something  specific  before  us,  let  us  say  that  a 
sale  is  'Transferring  to  some  party  an  article  of  which 
that  party  previously  did  not  have  complete  know- 
ledge and  which  he  had  not  made  up  his  mind  to 

possess/ 

********* 

"What  are  the  factors  essential  to  a  sale?  They 
are  simple.  They  are  the  goods,  the  salesman  and  the 
customer.  We  can't  have  a  sale  without  these  three 
factors.  By  some  authorities,  these  three  factors  form 
the  first  principle  of  salesmanship.  Do  not,  however, 
let  this  statement  disturb  you,  because  we  have  been 
advocating  for  some  years  that  the  principles  of  sales- 
manship are  attention,  interest,  appreciation,  desire, 
conviction,  decision,  action.  A  sale  cannot  be  made  by 
the  elimination  of  any  one  of  these  factors.  The  goods 
must  also  contain  certain  elements  which  make  them 
salable.  Among  these  we  can  name  attractiveness, 
utility,  specific  points  of  excellence,  adaptability  to  the 
needs  and  requirements  of  the  customer,  and  a  price 

57 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

fixed  in  proportion  to  the  merits  shown.  This  can  be 
called  the  second  principle  of  salesmanship.  These 
elements  can  be  studied  to  advantage. 

"By  attractiveness  we  mean  the  general  appearance 
of  the  goods,  as  to  color,  form,  size,  proportion,  work- 
manship, etc.  In  this  way  they  appeal  to  the  eye,  the 
sense  of  taste  or  any  one  or  more  of  the  senses.  In 
your  article,  some  of  the  elements  of  attractiveness 
would  be  the  general  appearance  of  the  article,  the 
style  which  it  carries ;  the  customer  would  also  be 
attracted  to  it  because  of  the  need  which  she  has  for 
it,  because  of  the  economy  there  is  to  her  in  purchasing 
it.  The  more  attractive  we  can  make  the  goods  which 
we  are  selling,  the  stronger  will  be  the  first  impressions 
created  by  those  goods ;  hence,  first  impressions  made 
by  the  goods  are  an  important  factor  in  the  making  of 
the  sale. 

"The  utility  of  the  article  must  also  be  presented. 
Certain  novelty  houses  throughout  the  land  make  a 
great  deal  of  this  particular  factor  in  selling  goods, 
by  putting  up  articles  which  can  be  put  to  a  dozen  or 
more  different  uses.  I  presume  some  of  you  have 
bought  a  little  wire  device  ranging  from  the  lifter  of 
a  hot  lid  for  the  stove  to  scrambling  eggs,  and  I  am 
not  sure  but  it  could  be  converted  into  an  article  with 
which  the  baby  could  be  corrected.  In  this  particular 

58 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

case,  the  probabilities  are  that  the  utility  idea  has  been 
overworked,  but  it  establishes  the  point  which  we  are 
trying  to  make.  The  goods  must  possess  specific 
merits. 

********* 

"Right  along  in  this  connection,  we  come  to  what 
we  will  call  the  third  principle,  and  that  is  that  the 
price  of  an  article  is  always  secondary  to  the  proper 
presentation  of  its  merits.  If  you  are  trying  to  sell 
your  article  for  $6.00  when  the  prospect  has  been  ac- 
customed to  paying  only  $3.00  for  a  similar  article  and 
you  are  confident  that  your  article  possesses  the  merits 
which  warrants  this  increase  in  price,  you  must  pro- 
perly present  those  merits  to  make  the  sale.  It  is 
true,  too,  in  this  connection  that  the  price  paid  for  the 
article  is  not  as  important  as  the  service,  in  the  full 
sense  of  the  word,  which  that  article  renders.  We  will 
put  this  thought  before  you  in  other  ways,  namely,  that 
you  forget  the  price  paid  for  the  article  in  the  comfort 
or  service  or  both  as  the  case  may  be,  that  you  get  out 

of  the  article  itself. 

********* 

"Then  we  come  to  the  next  principle  which  depends 
much  upon  what  has  just  been  said,  namely,  that  the 
proper  demonstration  of  the  factors  of  salability  in  an 
article,  plus  the  customer's  ability  to  buy,  equals  the 

59 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

A'i  f*     ' 
&  '  'I. 

sale.  That  is,  given  these  factors  of  attractiveness,  of 
usefulness,  of  specific  merit,  of  adaptability,  of  rea- 
sonable price,  together  with  a  proper  demonstration  of 
these  factors,  adding  to  them  the  customer's  ability  to 
buy,  and  a  sale  is  made. 

"The  last  principle  of  salesmanship  is  that  the  ele- 
ments of  the  sale  must  be  arranged  in  such  order  as  to 
secure  the  attention,  the  desire,  the  conviction  of  the 
customer.  This  we  call  the  mental  form  of  a  sale. 

"If  your  article  is  not  attractive,  it  will  not  appeal 
to  your  customer.  If  it  is  not  useful,  your  customer 
certainly  would  not  be  acting  wisely  in  purchasing  it. 
Granted  that  it  is  both  attractive  and  useful,  if  it  does 
not  possess  specific  merits,  your  customer  may  not 
want  it.  If  it  does  possess  specific  merits  and  those 
specific  merits  are  not  adapted  to  your  customer's 
requirements,  you  can't  create  in  her  mind  a  desire  for 
it;  but  let  it  possess  attractiveness,  utility,  specific 
merits,  let  it  also  be  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the 
customer,  if  the  price  is  beyond  the  customer,  or  if  the 
price  fixed  is  not  in  proportion  to  the  merits  you  have 
shown,  your  customer  will  not  purchase  it. 

"We  must  realize  that  an  article  which  would  be 
attractive  to  one  customer  might  not  be  attractive  to 
another;  so,  in  one  sense  this  question  of  attractive- 

60 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ness  is  a  relative  term.    So  is  adaptability  to  the  cus- 
tomer's requirements. 

"We  have  said,  too,  that  it  requires  a  proper  dem- 
onstration of  the  factors  of  the  sale  plus  the  customer's 
ability  to  buy  to  make  a  sale,  but  what  do  we  mean  by 
a  proper  demonstration  ?  We  mean  this :  You  cannot 
make  a  general  statement  as  to  the  good  qualities  in 
your  article  if  you  are  going  to  make  a  sale.  To 
demonstrate  the  presence  of  these  elements  in  your 
article,  you  must  impress  each  and  every  one  upon 
the  customer's  mind  in  such  a  way  and  with  such  effect 
that  she  is  willing  and  even  anxious  to  exchange  her 
money  for  that  which  you  are  selling. 

"The  elements  on  the  part  of  the  customer  which 
go  to  make  up  the  sale  are  attention,  interest,  appre- 
ciation, desire,  conviction,  decision,  and  action.  Let 
us  hold  in  mind,  however,  that  these  mental  stages 
must  be  aroused  in  the  mind  of  the  customer.  It  is  a 
fact,  too,  that  the  intelligence  of  the  customer,  her 
ability  to  observe,  consider  and  decide  are  going  to 
have  possibly  as  much  influence  upon  her  action,  as 
will  the  speech  of  the  saleswoman  herself.  That  simply 
means  that  an  inexperienced  and  perhaps  ignorant 
saleswoman  can  sell  a  first  class  article  to  a  customer 
who  is  able  to  decide  for  herself  that  the  article  should 
be  hers. 

61 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"This  comes  from  the  customer's  recognition  of 
these  factors  of  salability  of  which  we  have  spoken. 
She  sees  that  the  article  is  attractive,  has  utility,  pos- 
sesses specific  merits,  is  adapted  to  her  particular 
needs  and  the  price  is  in  proportion  to  the  merits  pre- 
sented, and  makes  up  her  mind.  This,  however,  does 
not  warrant  the  saleswoman  in  ignoring  the  fact 
that  a  business  which  depends  upon  the  customer's 
doing  her  own  selling — that  is,  selling  herself  the  arti- 
cle from  your  stock  which  you  would  sell  her — is  go- 
ing to  be  a  precarious  business. 

"Let  us  dwell  for  a  moment  upon  the  elements  of  a 
sale.  Were  the  average  salesman  asked  to  explain  the 
elements,  or  in  other  words,  the  constituent  parts  of 
a  sale,  if  he  understand  the  question  at  all,  he  would 
be  very  likely  to  answer :  "Well,  I  never  make  a  sale 
twice  alike.  Of  course,  you  have  got  to  get  hold  of 
your  customer  and  then  sell  him  as  you  can."  It  is 
undoubtedly  true  that  a  salesman  informed  upon  the 
laws  of  salesmanship  will  never  approach  two  custom- 
ers exactly  alike;  neither  will  he  say  the  same  things 
to  these  customers,  but  he  must  present  his  proposi- 
tion in  such  a  manner  that  attention,  interest,  appre- 
ciation, desire,  conviction,  decision  to  buy  follow  in 
the  order  named.  Then  follows  action.  No  one  of 
these  steps  can  be  taken  until  the  preceding  steps  have 

62 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

been  covered.  A  sale  is  a  thing  just  the  same  as  a 
manufactured  article  is  a  thing.  It  is  the  business  of 
the  salesman  to  manufacture  the  sale.  He  must,  there- 
fore, know  its  parts  or  its  elements.  This  is  just  as 
necessary  as  to  lay  the  foundation  of  a  building  be- 
fore trying  to  erect  the  building  itself. 

"The  method  of  producing  these  several  elements 
— attention,  interest,  and  the  rest — may  vary;  princi- 
ple, never.  An  auctioneer  would  secure  attention  by 
the  ringing  of  a  bell,  possibly  by  putting  out  a  red 
flag;  the  huckster  walking  or  riding  up  and  down  the 
street  with  his  wares  may  ring  a  bell,  blow  a  horn,  or 
start  the  air  to  vibrating  with  unintelligible  cries  which 
can  be  translated  into  "Strawberries"  or  "Bananas," 
"Old  rags  wanted,"  "Scissors  to  grind."  The  merchant 
would  advertise  in  the  local  papers,  put  displays  in  his 
windows.  The  commercial  drummer  or  the  saleswo- 
man will  seek  the  personal  interview.  So,  it  is  the 
personality  of  the  saleswoman  that  determines  the 
method  to  be  employed — the  principle  remains  intact. 

"Attention  is  the  first  thing  to  secure.  This  atten- 
tion can  be  divided  into  a  number  of  different  stages. 
To  illustrate :  When  you  first  present  your  proposition, 
you  may  meet  with  an  uncivil  reception.  You  may  meet 
with  abstraction  on  the  part  of  your  customer ;  that  is, 
your  prospect's  mind  is  not  dwelling  at  all 

63 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

upon  your  presentation  of  your  subject.  You 
may  not  meet  with  indifference;  that  is,  your  pros- 
pect's mind  is  upon  what  you  are  saying,  but 
is  not  taking  it  in.  There  may  be  something  a 
little  farther  along  than  indifference  and  yet  it  is  not 
attention,  which  we  will  call  the  ordinary  manner. 
There  may  be  spontaneous  attention;  that  is,  your 
customer  is  listening  to  what  you  say,  is  taking  it  in, 
is  not  indifferent,  but  this  spontaneous  attention  is  not 
so  marked  as  what  we  will  call  concentration  of  mind. 
Just  as  soon  as  we  secure  this  concentration  of  mind 
on  the  part  of  our  customer,  she  begins  to  formulate 
ideas  regarding  the  goods  themselves  and  gives  us 
what  we  have  been  working  for  at  this  stage,  namely, 
fixed  attention.  So  attention  runs  the  entire  gamut 
from  incivility  to  fixing  the  mind  upon  the  proposi- 
tion you  have  to  present. 

"Let  us  at  this  point  consider  by  what  means  we 
arrive  from  incivility  to  fixed  attention.  Your  cus- 
tomer is  uncivil.  What  overcomes  it?  Your  physical 
poise,  your  courtesy,  your  confidence  in  yourself,  your 
earnestness,  your  concentration  upon  your  subject.  If 
your  mind  is  fixed  firmly  upon  the  work  you  are  do- 
ing that  in  and  of  itself  being  a  positive  quality,  is  go- 
ing to  have  its  influence  upon  the  negative  quality  of 
your  customer's  mind,  which  is  represented  by  abstrac- 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

tion.  If  she  is  indifferent,  how  do  you  remove  this 
indifference?  By  your  positiveness ;  that  is,  by  your 
confidence,  your  courage,  and  this  without  manifest- 
ing desire;  by  your  perseverance,  by  your  continuity, 
holding  right  to  the  one  thought  in  mind,  by  your 
power  to  impress  her  with  the  truth  and  value  of  the 
statements  you  are  making. 

"If  she  manifests  but  an  ordinary  degree  of  atten- 
tion, your  affability  will  have  its  influence  upon  her. 
You  respect  her  opinions,  her  position  and  it  influences 
her  your  way.  You  put  yourself  on  an  equality  with 
her  or  put  her  on  equality  with  you  and  this,  her  ordi- 
nary manner,  gives  place  to  spontaneous  attention. 
Here,  your  agreeable  manner,  your  clearness  of  ex- 
pression, the  well  formulated  ideas  which  you  place 
before  her  change  her  to  "concentration  of  mind," 
this,  by  the  close  attention  you  are  giving  to  your  work 
gives  her  the  "formulative  ideas"  and  your  earnestness 
and  enthusiasm  and  mastery  of  your  subject  bring  her 
attention  upon  your  article. 

"Attention  must  be  watched  closely  to  note  whether 
it  is  natural  or  assumed.  If  this  attention  is  natural, 
then  it  becomes  a  strong  factor  in  your  favor.  If  this 
attention  is  assumed,  it  is  pulling  against  you — it  is  a 
factor  to  be  overcome.  This  assumed  attention  will 
become  natural  only  as  you  are  able  to  convince  the 

6s 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

>«*  -          |l!        .-.,»!• 

£ua.nf     IL 

woman  of  the  reasonableness  of  the  statements  you 
are  making.  It  is  a  simple  matter  to  fix  the  mind  upon 
an  attractive  object.  By  the  term  attractive,  we  do 
not  mean  that  which  appeals  merely  to  the  eye.  It  is 
not  so  easy  to  fix  the  mind  upon  an  unattractive  object. 

"The  little  child  finds  nothing  attractive  in  the 
printed  page,  but  he  finds  much  of  information  in  a 
picture,  and  so  gives  it  his  attention.  That  attention 
grows  as  the  fond  parent  tells  the  little  child  the  story 
of  the  picture.  In  that  manner,  the  parent  arouses  in 
the  child's  mind  the  desire  to  read,  to  be  able  to  find 
out  for  himself  the  wonders  of  the  printed  or  the 
pictured  page.  This  classification  of  natural  and  as- 
sumed attention  brings  up  this  thought — that  it  is  a 
part  of  the  saleswoman's  business  to  direct  attention. 
To  direct  attention,  then,  she  must  be  able  to  turn  the 
mind  to  those  things  she  is  presenting  and  to  hold  the 
customer's  mind  there  until  that  purpose  is  complete; 
that  is,  until  that  attention  is  fixed. 

"Having  reached  the  point  of  fixed  attention,  we 
reach  interest.  Interest,  from  the  standpoint  of  sales- 
manship, is  attention  intensified.  Thorough  attention 
puts  the  customer  in  a  receptive  mood.  Just  as  soon 
as  she  is  interested  she  has  a  share,  a  part  in  the  thing 
that  you  are  presenting.  What  is  it  that  interests  us? 
Whatever  comes  near  to  us,  touches  us,  touches  our 

66 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

circumstances.  Interest  is  personal.  It  may  be  based 
upon  profit  or  loss.  It  may  be  based  upon  advantage, 
upon  amusement.  It  is  simple,  but  let  it  be  what  it 
may,  come  from  what  source  it  may,  it  binds  us  to  that 
object  and  makes  us  think  of  it,  and  so,  in  presenting 
the  article,  we  must  arouse  the  interest  of  the  customer 
and  make  her  think  of  it.  This  interest  can't  be  mani- 
fested, remember,  until  the  attention  has  been  firmly 
fixed.  We  build  up  interest  in  much  the  same  manner 
that  we  build  up  attention. 

"There  is  a  difference,  however,  that  must  be  noted. 
You  may  be  able  to  secure  a  woman's  attention  to 
your  article  without  regard  to  the  application  that  wo- 
man can  make  of  it  to  meet  her  own  personal  require- 
ments; that  is,  she  may  be  interested  without  any 
thought  of  the  goods  being  hers.  You  cannot,  how- 
ever, arouse  interest  in  the  mind  of  a  customer  with- 
out, at  the  same  time,  laying  the  foundation  for  a  de- 
sire on  the  part  of  that  customer  to  own  the  article 
that  you  are  presenting.  So,  you  as  saleswomen  must 
know  that  when  you  secure  a  woman's  attention  to 
your  article,  there  is  a  strong  probability  of  your  in- 
teresting her  in  the  article  if  you  lead  her  up  to  the 
point  where  she  desires  it  for  her  own.  If  a  customer 
can't  buy  it  is  a  waste  of  time  to  secure  attention.  We, 
on  our  way  home  to-day,  may  have  our  attention 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

called  to  and  firmly  fixed  upon  some  object  which  we 
have  no  thought  of  purchasing,  which  we  could  not 
purchase  if  we  desired. 

"This  element  of  interest  may  be  awakened,  first, 
by  an  appeal  to  our  emotions ;  second  by  an  appeal  to 
our  reason,  but  a  discussion  of  this  phase  comes  else- 
where. Going  on  with  interest;  just  as  soon  as  inter- 
est is  created,  the  mind  desires  to  know  more  about 
the  object.  When  you  have  created  this  condition  in 
your  customer's  mind  the  opportunity  presents  itself 
to  you  to  increase  this  interest  so  you  bring  to  bear 
upon  that  mind  the  knowledge  which  you  have  of  your 
article,  the  reasons  in  favor  of  it,  its  points  of  merit. 
As  you  proceed  in  this  work,  that  interest  becomes 
greater.  We  have  said  just  as  soon  as  the  woman 
shows  interest,  she  becomes  a  part,  she  has  a  share, 
a  part,  in  the  thing  itself.  As  this  interest  grows,  she 
has  a  larger  part  in  it.  It  touches  her  more  closely, 
and  we  come  to  the  next  stop,  which  is  appreciation. 
This  is  more  than  interest. 

"Appreciation  leads  her  to  see  the  adaptability  of 
the  article  to  her  own  requirements.  It  leads  her  to 
analyze  more  closely  the  specific  merits  of  the  article 
itself  and  strengthens  in  her  mind  the  utility  of  it; 
that  is,  the  use  she  can  make  of  it — the  value  it  will  be 
to  her. 

68 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"At  this  stage  you  demonstrate  the  proof  of  the 
statements  you  are  making.  You  enumerate  the  differ- 
ent advantages  which  your  article  possesses,  bringing 
out  its  most  favorable  points.  You  compare  your 
article  with  others  of  a  similar  class  with  which  she 
is  familiar  and  so  demonstrate  to  her  the  truth  of  your 
statements.  As  you  demonstrate  these  things  to  her 
mind,  you  force  her  mind  to  a  conclusion  by  her  own 
perception.  This  conclusion  to  which  she  comes  is 
the  necessary  result  of  her  transmitting  to  her  own 
mind  certain  ideas  and  comparing  them  favorably  with 
the  statements  you  have  made. 

"As  this  appreciation  grows,  as  your  customer  sat- 
isfies herself  of  the  logic  of  your  argument,  of  the 
truthfulness  of  your  statements,  there  comes  into  her 
mind  a  DESIRE  to  possess  the  article.  Now,  desire 
may  come  from  any  one  of  many  qualities.  They  may 
be  qualities  of  the  emotions ;  they  may  be  qualities  of 
the  reason.  The  qualities  that  arouse  desire  are  such 
as  love  or  hatred,  generosity  or  jealousy,  greed  for 
money  for  its  own  sake  or  necessity  for  money  to 
meet  pressing  want,  ambition,  pride,  etc.  It  is  neces- 
sary to  know  which  one  of  the  qualities  of  want  ap- 
peals most  strongly  to  your  customer.  If  you  are  able 
to  detect  the  particular  quality  of  want  which  appeals 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

to  her  that  is  the  one  upon  which  to  place  most  em- 
phasis. 

"But,  there  may  be  a  desire  and  also  at  the  same 
time,  some  objection  on  the  part  of  the  customer  to 
gratify  that  desire, — for  example  the  price  of  the 
article.  If  we  have  presented  its  attractive  qualities, 
if  we  have  shown  its  specific  merits,  if  we  have  set 
forth  its  adaptability  to  meet  the  requirements  of  that 
particular  customer,  and  there  remains  nothing  but 
the  price  as  an  objection  upon  her  part,  then  we  make 
the  adaptability  to  her  specific  wants  so  strong  that 
there  comes  a  time  in  her  mind  when  that  desire  to 
possess  the  article  because  of  your  clear  and  logical 
presentation  of  its  merits,  overcomes  her  objections 
and  she  gives  the  order. 

"Bear  in  mind,  too,  that  the  words  which  you 
speak  may  not,  alone,  bring  about  the  end  desired. 
Your  actions,  your  poise,  your  manner,  your  facial 
expressions,  have  much  to  do  in  bringing  about  this 
desire  in  the  customer's  mind.  Therefore,  at  this 
point,  add  to  your  spoken  word,  enthusiasm  of  manner 
as  well  as  of  speech,  confidence  of  bearing  as  well  as 
convincing  argument  and  courtesy  in  its  fullest  sense. 
Do  not  be  afraid  to  make  physical  effort  at  this  point 
in  the  way  of  proper  inflection,  proper  emphasis,  prop- 
er position  in  standing  or  sitting.  If  you  cannot  put 

70 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

enthusiasm  into  your  sale,  how  are  you  going  to  cre- 
ate enthusiasm  in  the  mind  of  your  customer?  A 
customer  may  appreciate  the  merits  of  your  article 
without  enthusiasm  on  your  part.  Her  observation 
may  be  clearer  than  yours  and  she  may  see  in  the 
article  certain  qualities  which  appeal  to  her  and  quali- 
ties which  you  do  not  see.  In  that  case,  she  becomes 
enthused,  or,  in  other  words,  creates  her  own  desire. 
If  a  sale  be  made  in  this  way,  it  is  made  not  through 
the  saleswoman's  ability,  but  the  customer's  intelli- 
gence. 

"Following  desire  comes  CONVICTION.  This 
step  in  the  sale  follows  immediately  after  desire.  The 
time  required  will  depend  upon  your  ability  to  demon- 
strate the  factors  of  salability  in  your  article  and  upon 
the  ability  of  your  customer  to  perceive  and  understand 
these  factors.  Whether  this  takes  a  few  minutes  or 
an  hour,  no  sale  can  be  made  until  your  customer  has 
reached  the  stage  of  conviction.  You  convince  her 
that  she  needs  your  article.  With  conviction  comes  the 
decision  to  buy.  If  conviction  be  lacking  although  de- 
sire has  been  properly  created,  this  lack  of  conviction 
must  be  due  to  the  incomplete  evidence  which  you  have 
produced.  Your  customer  doubts  what  you  say. 
Doubt  suggests  suspicion.  Suspicion  leads  the  custom- 
er to  mistrust  you.  This  distrust,  suspicion — call  it 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

what  you  will — is  as  likely  to  come  from  your  manner 
as  it  is  from  your  spoken. words;  for,  do  not  "actions 
speak  louder  than  words?"  We  repeat  at  this  point 
because  we  want  to  convince  you  of  the  emotional  part 
in  making  a  sale;  that  is,  the  courteous  bearing,  the 
confidence,  the  enthusiasm,  the  determination  and  all 
of  the  positive  qualities  which  make  for  conviction. 

"Conviction  is  a  belief  established  by  argument  or 
by  evidence  which  appeals  to  the  reason  of  the  buyer. 
Consequently,  every  step  taken  in  the  process  of  mak- 
ing a  sale  must  be  taken  with  a  view  to  taking  another 
step.  It  is  like  building  a  brick  wall ;  if  the  foundation 
be  poor,  there  can  be  no  lasting  wall.  If  the  founda- 
tion be  well  laid  and  the  mortar  which  unites  the 
brick  be  omitted  or  be  of  such  a  character  that  it 
crumbles  and  wastes  away,  the  wall  will  not  stand. 
If  some  brick  be  laid  too  far  to  one  side,  the  wall  is 
not  plumb  and  will  fall.  See  to  it,  then,  that  in  build- 
ing up  this  sale  every  brick  is  in  its  proper  place,  that 
the  connecting  link  is  sufficiently  strong  to  unite  and 
to  hold  your  structure  together  and  that  the  sale  is 
properly  built  throughout  its  every  step. 

"In  studying  this  subject  so  important  to  your  work, 
do  not  forget  the  value  of  your  own  experience 
throughout.  Many  of  you  are  temporarily  convinced, 
we  assume,  that  a  knowledge  of  salesmanship  is  worth 

72 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

all  it  costs — just  now  you  are  willing  to  pay  the  price. 
Will  you  be  willing  to  do  this  when  you  approach  its 
study,  when  the  bill  comes  due?  In  your  experience 
at  some  time  possibly  a  woman  has  given  you  an 
order;  you  congratulated  yourself  on  having  made  a 
sale,  you  spent  the  profits  of  that  sale  before  delivery 
was  made.  After  you  had  left  this  customer  she  be- 
gan to  inquire  of  herself  whether  her  action  was  wise 
or  unwise,  and  ended  up  by  saying  "Why  did  I  buy 
that?"  or  "I  was  a  fool  for  buying  that  article,"  or 
"I  don't  need  it,"  and  notified  you  that  the  sale  was  off. 
As  a  rule  when  this  condition  exists,  it  is  due  to  the 
incompleteness  of  the  sale's  structure  you  built  in  your 

interview  with  her. 

*       *       * 

"One  other  thought  and  we  are  done.  Paderewski 
is  perhaps  the  most  famous  pianist  of  to-day.  His 
achievements  in  this  direction  are  known.  To  you  and 
to  me  and  to  the  great  body  of  people,  it  seems  there 
can  be  no  more  musical  worlds  for  him  to  conquer; 
yet,  is  Paderewski  content  with  his  present  knowledge  ? 
Does  the  fact  that  he  can  produce  a  larger  quality  and 
a  finer  quantity  of  harmony,  of  concord,  of  thrilling 
music  from  the  masters  of  the  past  and  the  sub-masters 
of  to-day  than  any  other  pianist  lead  him  to  suspend 
study?  Is  he  content  with  his  present  knowledge? 

73 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Does  he,  the  master  of  the  piano,  believe  that  there  is 
nothing  more  for  him  to  learn  in  playing  the  piano? 
Far  from  it.  His  constant  study,  his  constant  practice, 
attest  his  faith  in  the  fact  that  he  has  not  yet  reached 
the  limit  of  his  powers.  Just  so  those  of  you,  if  there 
be  such,  who  think  that  you  know  all  that  you  need 
to  know  of  salesmanship,  can  well  emulate  the  example 
of  this  man,  and  by  constant  study,  by  constant  prac- 
tice can  continue  to  grow  stronger  and  stronger  in  this 
work  in  which  you  are  engaged." 


74 


CHAPTER  VII. 
FIRST  IMPRESSIONS. 

WHERE  the  prospect  to  be  approached  is  a 
stranger,  the  importance  of  first  impressions 
cannot  be  over-estimated.  Intuitively  you  are  "sized- 
up,"  weighed  in  the  balance, — estimated.  In  proportion 
to  the  approval  your  prospect  entertains  will  be  the 
ease  whereby  you  establish  yourself  upon  a  harmoni- 
ous basis. 

There  should  be  no  trace  of  timidity  in  the  knock 
upon  the  door  or  the  ring  of  the  bell.  Make  either 
vigorous  enough  to  instantly  awaken  attention. 

Should  the  door  have  a  glass  panel  or  side  lights, 
it  is  always  policy  to  step  aside  after  ringing  the  bell. 
Your  prospect  is  then  obliged  to  open  the  door  before 
she  can  ascertain  whether  the  caller  is  a  local  visitor  or 
someone  else. 

If  you  are  carrying  a  sample  case,  set  it  at  the  side 
of  the  door  until  later  developments  of  the  sale— at 
least  until  you  have  gained  the  favorable  attention  of 
the  prospect.  This  often  makes  it  easier  to  secure  the 
coveted  invitation  to  enter  the  home.  To  be  obliged 

75 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

to  give  your  selling  talk  at  the  door  is  usually  embar- 
assing  to  both  parties,  often  subjecting  the  prospect  to 
the  curiosity  of  passers-by  if  the  house  is  located  close 
to  the  street. 

Should  the  prospect  appear  dilatory  in  extending 
the  invitation  to  enter,  ask  her  in  your  most  pleasing 
manner  if  she  will  not  spare  you  a  few  minutes  in 
which  to  discuss  a  business  proposition.  Assure  her 
that  your  time  is  limited,  and  that  you  will  be  brief  in 
presenting  its  merits.  After  you  have  been  invited  to 
come  in  you  can  then  talk  as  long  as  is  necessary  to 
build  a  sale. 

All  this  time  your  countenance  should  be  radiating 
sunshine, — good  cheer.  There  is  something  infectious 
about  shining  features  that  seems  to  find  a  responsive 
chord  in  the  other  party.  Look  frankly  into  the  eyes  of 
the  prospect  and  let  your  whole  demeanor  be  one  to 
engage  confidence. 

When  invited  to  be  seated,  secure  if  possible,  a 
position  where  the  light  will  fall  strongly  upon  the 
face  of  the  prospect.  You  can  then  watch  closely  the 
play  of  her  features,  noting  which  of  your  arguments 
win  her  approbation — which  ones  to  press  harder,  also 
what  to  pass  lightly  over. 

Hon.  A.  J.  Palm,  at  one  time  a  very  successful 
salesman,  gives  this  pertinent  advice : 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"A  very  essential  qualification  for  a  Saleswoman 
is  the  power  of  concentration,  the  ability  to  fix  her 
mind  intently  on  a  proposition  and  keep  it  there  as 
long  as  may  be  necessary.  In  other  words,  she  should 
have  will  power,  for  it  is  this  that  enables  us  to  focus 
our  attention  on  some  object  and  hold  it  there.  The 
will  should  be  cultivated  to  such  a  degree  that  the 
saleswoman  may  be  able  to  rivet  her  thought  on  the 
subject  in  hand  and  keep  it  there  until  she  has  either 
accomplished  her  purpose  or  demonstrated  that  it  is 
beyond  her  reach.  She  must  also  secure  the  attention 
of  the  prospective  buyer  and  maintain  it,  if  her  work 
is  to  be  highly  successful.  Without  attention  there 
will  be  no  consideration  and  without  consideration  no 
sale. 

"One  of  the  vital  things  in  salesmanship  is  to  se- 
cure an  interview  under  the  most  favorable  circum- 
stances possible.  The  saleswoman  who  finds  a  pros- 
pective purchaser  at  an  unfavorable  time  or  under  un- 
favorable circumstances  should  not  attempt  to  talk 
business,  but  simply  arrange  for  an  interview  under 
more  favorable  conditions.  There  are  times  with  all 
of  us  when,  if  we  are  not  positively  cross  and  irritable, 
we  are  at  least  not  in  condition  to  consider  a  proposi- 
tion which  involves  selling  us  something  that  we  have 
not  been  thinking  of  buying.  It  isn't  profitable  to  call 

77 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

on  a  woman  when  she  has  thoughts  of  preparing  din- 
ner in  mind,  nor  on  a  man  when  he  fears  a  scolding  on 
account  of  being  late  in  keeping  an  engagement. 

"In  fixing  a  time  for  an  interview  the  saleswoman 
should  give  the  prospective  customer  to  understand 
that  she  would  like  a  time  when  she  can  have  undi- 
vided attention.  If  the  prospective  buyer  is  a  woman 
and  so  industrious  that  she  attempts  to  knit  or  sew  or 
do  fancy  work  while  listening  to  the  proposition,  it 
would  be  well  for  you  to  suggest  that  you  can  get 
through  in  less  time  and  far  more  satisfactorily,  if  she 
will  lay  aside  her  work  and  give  the  matter  her  thought- 
ful attention. 

"Men,  as  a  rule,  are  not  so  industrious,  and,  if 
they  fix  a  time  for  an  interview,  are  usually  courteous 
enough  to  give  the  saleslady  a  respectful  hearing.  If 
one  should  be  found  so  forgetful  of  the  proprieties  as 
to  try  to  read  a  newspaper  or  glance  over  his  mail,  it 
would  be  well  to  suggest  to  him  that  you  fear  you  are 
not  presenting  your  proposition  with  the  force  it  de- 
serves and  he  will  perhaps  take  the  hint.  In  doing 
this,  however,  either  with  man  or  woman  it  must  be 
done  in  such  a  way  as  not  to  cause  the  slightest  of- 
fense. 

"Some  saleswomen  have  a  way  of  saying  almost 
anything  without  giving  offense  while  others  do  not 

78 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

possess  the  happy  faculty.  Each  must  be  the  judge  of 
her  own  limitations  along  this  line.  It  would  hardly 
do,  for  example,  to  stop  suddenly  in  your  talk  and 
declare  that  you  are  tired  of  casting  your  pearls  before 
swine. 

"You  should  never  dispute  with  a  prospective  cus- 
tomer nor  contradict  her  unless  necessary  to  correct 
some  false  statement  that  may  be  made,  or  some  false 
idea  that  may  be  held  in  reference  to  the  article  which 
you  are  selling,  and  then  it  should  be  done  so  as  to 
avoid  giving  any  offense.  Some  saleswomen  endeavor 
to  find  out  before  calling  on  their  prospects  what  sub- 
jects they  are  especially  interested  in  and  then  try  to 
so  direct  the  conversation  as  to  bring  up  one  of  these 
favorite  topics.  If  you  will  then  give  him  a  chance  to 
please  himself  by  talking  on  his  favorite  theme  he  will 
be  pleased  with  you  and  perhaps  give  you  a  more 
favorable  hearing  than  he  might  otherwise.  The  great 
secret  of  having  people  pleased  with  those  they  meet  is 
to  afford  them  an  opportunity  of  being  pleased  with 
themselves. 

"The  saleslady  should  be  able  to  decide  when  she 
has  said  enough  and  not  overdo  it.  There  are  more 
sales  lost  perhaps  by  talking  too  much  rather  than  too 
little.  As  soon  as  the  listener  has  fully  grasped  the 
proposition  in  all  its  aspects,  further  talk  is  unneces- 

79 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

sary  if  not  actually  detrimental,  and  especially  so  if 
the  talk  has  been  clear  and  convincing.  No  saleswo- 
man should  attempt  to  tell  all  she  knows  about  her 
proposition  if  she  knows  as  much  about  it  as  she 
should. 

"You  should  occasionally  ask  the  prospect,  during 
the  course  of  your  talk,  to  endorse  what  you  say,  by 
saying,  "I  am  sure  that  appeals  favorably  to  you;  you 
would  appreciate  that,  wouldn't  you?"  or  some  other 
question  or  expression  that  will  bring  out  an  endorse- 
ment, for  that  will  help  to  commit  the  prospect  to  your 
proposition. 

"There  is  a  best  time  to  bring  your  argument  to  a 
close  and  to  ask  for  the  order.  This  is  known  as  the 
psychological  moment  and  your  success  will  depend  in 
no  small  degree  on  your  ability  to  recognize  when  this 
moment  has  arrived.  If  allowed  to  pass  without  ask- 
ing for  an  order  it  is  likely  to  require  further  talk  to 
renew  the  interest.  The  Saleswoman  should  be  able 
to  talk  convincingly  on  every  feature  of  her  proposition 
and  assume  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  the  prospect 
has  no  other  thought  than  to  accept  it." 


80 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE  SPECIAL  REPRESENTATIVE — SOMETIMES  CALLED 
"GENERAL  AGENT." 

A  COMPANY    marketing    its    product    through 
agents  plans  upon  the  most  economical  meth- 
ods of  securing  these  field  workers  and  how  best  to 
keep  the  organization  intact  and  increasing. 

Dozens  of  firms  with  good  articles  and  actual  de- 
mand upon  the  part  of  the  public  for  them,  fail  be- 
cause they  do  not  understand  the  most  advantageous 
ways  of  securing  distribution.  Unless  the  distribu- 
tion problem  be  satisfactorily  solved,  the  best  proposi- 
tion will  go  begging.  Anyone  with  proper  machinery 
and  skilled  labor  can  apply  those  requisites  to  a  clever 
idea  and  manufacture  a  meritorious  article.  Hundreds 
of  machinery  firms  can  supply  the  most  intricate  ma- 
chinery needed  for  any  manufacturing  purpose ;  skilled 
labor  can  be  had  in  abundance,  if  the  wage  scale  be 
made  attractive  enough.  Therefore,  the  manufactur- 
er's problem  lies  not  so  much  in  the  manufacture  of 
the  article  itself  as  it  does  in  getting  it  into  the  hands 
of  the  consumer — who,  of  course,  furnishes  the  capi- 
tal to  keep  the  entire  system  operating. 

81 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

This  is  the  reason  why  Salesmanship  for  either  sex 
offers  such  splendid  opportunities.  The  seller  is  the 
real  outlet  for  the  manufacturer — and  in  proportion  to 
the  aggressive  selling  ability  of  the  field  force  will  be 
the  prosperity  of  the  company. 

The  necessity  for  a  well  organized  and  accurately 
trained  field-force  for  any  firm  marketing  its  goods 
through  agents,  now  becomes  apparent. 

How  may  this  organization  be  most  effectually  se- 
cured and  maintained?  Some  companies  solve  this 
question  one  way;  some  another  way.  The  smaller 
firms  employ  the  medium  of  classified  columns  to  ad- 
vertise for  agents,  or  purchase  from  firms  dealing  in 
classified  lists  of  occupations,  the  names  and  addresses 
of  persons  making  a  profession  of  selling  and  endeav- 
or to  secure  their  services  through  correspondence. 
The  larger  firms  usually  require  their  Representatives 
to  have  a  certain  amount  of  training  which  they  be- 
lieve can  be  imparted  best  by  sending  a  trained  Special 
Representative  to  appoint  them. 

The  Special  Representative  employs  all  the  ele- 
ments of-  Salesmanship  in  inducing  the  prospect  to 
take  up  the  work  which  means  becoming  the  com- 
pany's Representative.  Here  not  only  the  specific 
merits  of  the  goods  themselves  are  elaborated  upon, 
but  to  the  prospect  must  be  sold  the  idea  that  he  or 

82 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

she  can  successfully  pursue  the  work  and  make  it 
profitable. 

All  the  fundamental  steps  of  a  sale  are  developed, 
the  only  difference  being  that  desire  for  profits  is 
awakened  instead  of  desire  for  the  article  itself  which 
merely  forms  the  basis  for  the  awakening  process. 
When  the  prospect  becomes  convinced  (CONVIC- 
TION) that  money  can  be  actually  made  from  the 
proposition,  and  has  decided  (DECISION)  that  she 
can  make  it,  then  the  Special  Representative  presses 
for  ACTION,  which  usually  means  the  signing  of  the 
Company's  contract  and  the  payment  necessary  for  any 
Sample  Line  to  be  left  with  the  new  appointee  as 
working  tools. 

In  nearly  every  case  the  Special  Representative  is 
promoted  from  the  ranks  of  local  or  traveling  repre- 
sentatives. This  is  only  natural ;  for  no  Special  Rep- 
resentative can  hope  to  succeed  in  the  work  of  ap- 
pointing agents  unless  she  has  first  acquired  the  basic 
training  which  only  actual  field-selling  can  give.  Spe- 
cial Representative  work  is  something  to  be  looked 
forward  to  by  the  ambitious  saleswoman.  It  is  a  high- 
er grade  of  work  and  its  commissions — sometimes  sal- 
aries— make  it  the  best  paid  profession  open  to  women 
who  are  willing  to  pay  the  price  in  hard  work  and 
study,  to  become  successful.  A  large  number  of  wo- 

83 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

men  in  the  United  States  to-day  are  earning  $10,000 
a  year  or  better  at  this  class  of  work.  Bear  in  mind, 
however,  that  when  a  woman  is  selected  from  the 
ranks  to  become  a  Special  Representative,  the  choice 
always  falls  upon  the  one  who  has  made  the  highest 
sales  record  and  who  has  also  fitted  herself  in  other 
ways  for  the  peculiar  requirements  of  this  particular 
calling.  Rarely  is  she  chosen  until  she  has  had  at  least 
from  three  to  five  year's  of  actual  selling  experience. 
Bearing  this  true  statement  in  mind  you  will  not  fruit- 
lessly allow  your  ambition  to  seek  prematurely  this  pro- 
motion. Sales  Managers  are  constantly  upon  the  look- 
out for  suitable  Special  Representative  talent, — and 
when  you  have  without  doubt  developed  this  talent,  it 
will  be  recognized  and  rewarded. 

The  work  of  the  Special  Representative  is  to  find 
local  Representatives  for  her  company.  All  reputable 
companies  demand  a  high  grade  of  personality,  energy, 
character  and  integrity  upon  the  part  of  its  field  work- 
ers. It,  therefore,  behooves  the  Special  Representative 
to  locate  the  one  person  best  fulfilling  these  require- 
ments, and  to  contract  her  if  possible. 

How  shall  she  most  expeditiously  perform  this 
task?  She  usually  comes  into  the  town  an  entire 
stranger.  A  majority  of  the  towns  do  not  have  a 
daily  paper  in  which  to  advertise  and  the  Special  Rep- 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

resentative  cannot  afford  to  await  the  issue  of  a  Week- 
ly. In  this  connection  let  me  say  that  it  is  never  neces- 
sary to  advertise  for  your  prospect.  There  is  a  quick- 
er and  surer  route  to  your  goal,  and  that  is  SECURE 
PROPER  INFORMATION  FROM  RELIABLE 
SOURCES. 

Information-getting  is  an  art  in  itself  equally  as 
important  as  the  application  of  salesmanship  principles. 
I  very  much  regret  that  the  limits  of  this  volume  do 
not  permit  me  to  treat  the  subject  as  exhaustively  as 
I  should  delight  in  doing.  The  excerpts  here  given 
from  my  own  experience  may,  however,  be  the  means 
of  starting  you  rightly  upon  the  road  and  the  different 
shades  of  technic  will  dawn  upon  you  as  you  grow 
older  in  the  work. 

I  want  to  lay  emphasis  upon  the  fact  that  your  in- 
formation as  to  who  is  the  most  desirable  party  for 
your  work,  must  come  from  RELIABLE  SOURCES. 

If  your  proposition  is  a  high-grade  one  capable  of 
producing  excellent  profit  for  the  local  representative, 
I  want  to  place  BANKS  at  the  head  of  reliable 
sources  of  information. 

It  is  a  part  of  a  bank's  business  in  any  community 
to  aid  conservatively  in  the  betterment  of  its  deposi- 
tor's financial  possibilities.  When  the  depositor  be- 
comes more  prosperous  the  bank  naturally  enough 

85 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

profits.  Do  not,  therefore,  feel  any  misgivings  upon 
approaching  any  bank  official  for  the  information  you 
desire. 

Tact,  courtesy  and  open  frankness  must  be  the 
keynote  of  such  an  approach.  State  your  business  in 
clear,  concise  terms.  Don't  attempt  cajoling  flattery, 
but  incidentally  remark  that  if  the  party  recommended 
takes  up  the  work  it  means  increased  deposits  from 
her.  Insist  upon  having  the  Banker  refer  you  to  one 
of  his  depositors,  for  then  you  have  settled  the  ques- 
tion as  to  whether  the  prospect  has  sufficient  money 
to  purchase  readily  the  Sample  Outfit. 

Banks  of  necessity  are  conservative.  They  must 
know  that  the  Company  you  represent  is  well  rated. 
See  to  it  then  that  you  know  where  to  quickly  refer 
in  the  leading  financial  directories  for  the  rating  of 
your  Company.  If  a  generous  rating,  ask  the  Banker 
to  kindly  note  it.  Establish  confidence  in  his  mind 
and  invariably  he  will  name  the  party  best  fitted  for 
your  work. 

When  you  go  to  your  prospect  and  tell  her  that  her 
own  Banker  especially  recommended  her  of  all  women 
in  the  town  for  your  proposition,  you  minister  to  her 
pride  and  make  her  receptive  to  your  arguments. 

Ranking  next  in  importance  to  Banks,  I  prefer 
Furniture  Dealers  and  Undertakers.  These  two 

86 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

trades  usually  know  the  inner  workings  of  most  homes 
in  the  community.  The  furniture  dealer  knows  who 
are  striving  to  furnish  a  home  and  possibly  in  debt 
some  through  doing  so.  Such  women  will  gladly  wel- 
come something  that  will  add  to  the  income  and  aid  in 
paying  off  the  indebtedness.  As  a  rule,  if  they  do 
not  possess  money  enough  to  purchase  the  Sample 
Outfit,  they  can  solicit  the  small  loan  required  from 
friendly  neighbors.  Undertakers  always  know  the 
bereaved  widows  of  a  town  who  are  forced  to  rely 
upon  their  own  resources;  and  to  such  your  work 
should  prove  attractive.  Undertakers  are  a  leisurely 
class  and  generally  are  not  averse  to  spending  plenty 
enough  time  to  discuss  the  habits  and  personality  of 
the  prospects  they  may  recommend. 

Reliable  information  can  be  secured  in  many  in- 
stances from  pastors  or  leading  spirits  in  women's 
fraternal  organizations,  such  as  Daughters  of  Rebekah, 
W.  C.  T.  U.  presidents,  etc. 

It  is  rare  indeed  that  the  right  kind  of  information 
can  be  secured  from  hotel  keepers,  post-masters,  sta- 
tion agents  or  mail  carriers.  This  class  of  public  serv- 
ants are  usually  pestered  to  distraction  by  inquiries 
such  as  yours,  and  generally  have  some  broken-down, 
cheap  canvasser  to  recommend,  seeking  only  to  get  rid 
of  you  as  courteously  as  possible.  If  you  have  the 

87 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

right  mental  conception  of  the  dignity  of  your  work 
and  the  necessary  confidence  in  your  company,  you 
will  seek  only  the  highest  grade  of  sound  business  citi- 
zens for  your  information.  Then  your  results  as  a 
whole  will  not  be  disappointing. 

The  prospect  having  been  contracted,  it  is  of  vital 
importance  to  yourself  as  well  as  the  appointee  that 
the  proper  instruction  or  training  be  given.  Most 
Special  Representatives  in  addition  to  deriving  a  profit 
from  the  Sample  Outfit  placed,  receive  a  commission 
upon  the  sales  of  the  one  appointed.  These  are  usually 
due  and  payable  quarterly  and  are  based  upon  the  cash 
remittances  the  local  Representative  sends  in  to  the 
House.  The  necessity  for  getting  the  new  agent  start- 
ed rightly  and  leaving  her  in  the  most  optimistic  frame 
of  mind  possible  is  apparent.  A  little  more  time  spent 
— a  careful  drill — a  thorough  knowledge  imparted  on 
how  to  order  goods,  how  to  study  the  company's  liter- 
ature is  sure  to  develop  later  on  into  larger  commission 
statements. 

Since  your  real  profits  are  to  come  in  later  on  in 
the  shape  of  commissions  upon  the  sales  your  ap- 
pointee makes,  do  not  commit  the  error  of  appointing 
a  questionable  prospect  for  the  sake  of  the  immediate 
profits  to  be  derived  from  the  Sample  Outfit.  Sooner 
or  later — usually  sooner — this  person  will  give  up  the 

88 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

work,  to  the  detriment  of  the  record  you  are  making 
at  the  House.  QUALITY  Representatives  always 
mean  QUANTITY  commissions. 


89 


CHAPTER  IX. 
How  TO  OVERCOME  OBJECTIONS. 

THAT  sale  is  a  remarkable  one  in  which  more  or 
less  objections  have  not  been  offered  by  the 
prospect. 

The  successful  saleswoman  has  anticipated  all  this, 
however,  and  is  not  in  the  least  nonplussed  when  they 
crop  up.  In  many  cases  she  recognizes  them  as  neces- 
sary to  the  proper  unfoldment  of  her  sales-talk.  Often 
that  sales-talk  has  been  so  formulated  that  an  objection 
upon  the  part  of  the  prospect  serves  to  bring  out  more 
forcibly  a  certain  argument  in  favor  of  the  proposition. 

The  stock-form  expressions  you  will  encounter  are, 
"Haven't  the  money,"  "  may  take  it  up  later,"  "try 
Mrs.  Jones  on  the  next  street/'  etc. 

It  is  always  a  wise  plan  to  practically  ignore  such 
remarks  and  keep  pressing  to  awaken  APPRECIA- 
TION of  what  you  have  to  sell.  Thunder  indicates 
the  approach  of  rain — just  so  surely  do  objections  up- 
on the  part  of  your  prospect  indicate  that  not  yet  has 
her  appreciation  been  aroused.  Therefore,  recognize 
the  fault  as  lying  within  yourself,  and  strive  with  all 
your  power  of  intellect  to  get  that  APPRECIATION 

90 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

awakened.  If  you  have  a  line  of  good  testimonials 
for  your  goods,  bring  them  to  bear  here.  Let  your 
voice  ring  with  your  own  CONVICTION,  and  you 
will  succeed.  I  am,  of  course,  presuming  that  you 
first  satisfied  yourself  fully  with  the  knowledge  that 
the  prospect  is  in  a  position  to  purchase — provided  you 
could  interest  her  in  doing  so. 

The  mediocre  saleswoman  goes  down  before  ob- 
jections— the  live-wire  one,  NEVER.  To  the  latter 
they  are  but  the  spur  that  urges  on  to  victory.  She 
realizes  that  there  is  a  battle  on — Intellect  vs.  Intel- 
lect; and  she  knows  she  is  the  better  equipped  to  win 
because  she  knows  her  proposition  better  than  does 
the  prospect.  Why  should  she  not  win? 

"The  question  of  price  seems  to  give  the  inex- 
perienced Representative  more  trouble  than  any  other. 
After  all,  is  there  really  such  a  thing  as  a  price  ob- 
jection? True,  a  considerable  number  of  your  cus- 
tomers may  say  "The  price  is  too  high,"  but  do  you 
think  they  really  mean  the  price  is  absolutely  too  high 
— that  they  actually  could  not  afford  it  ?  Do  you  real- 
ize that  folks  do  not  always  mean  exactly  what  they 
say?  Did  you  ever  call  at  a  residence  and  have  the 
maid  tell  you  that  the  lady  was  "not  at  home?"  Did 
she  mean  just  what  she  said?  You  understood  clearly 
that  while  she  said  "not  at  home,"  the  lady  really 

91 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

meant  that  it  was  not  convenient  for  her  to  see  you 
just  then.  Women  have  found  that  the  expression 
"not  at  home"  saves  a  world  of  explanation.  In  the 
business  world  the  expressions — "Can't  afford  it" — 
'Trice  too  high" — serve  the  same  purpose.  Only  the 
inexperienced  take  them  seriously.  The  experienced 
saleswoman  understands  the  true  meaning  of  the  vari- 
ous commercial  terms.  She  knows  there  is  a  clear 
distinction  between  Worth,  Value  and  Price. 

"By  Worth  we  mean  the  inherent  or  actual  merit 
an  article  possesses  in  and  of  itself — its  ability  to  sat- 
isfy human  need.  When  we  say  a  thing  is  worth  so 
much,  we  mean  that  it  has  so  much  of  specific  merit. 
Worth  is  actual — it  is  a  constant  quantity — and  is  not 
determined  by  the  price  or  by  value  as  this  is  properly 
understood.  It  is  well  to  remember  the  cardinal  prin- 
ciples that  though  a  person  may  think  of  the  price  of 
an  article  when  buying  it,  the  quality  only  will  be  con- 
sidered in  the  use  of  it.  It  is  real  worth  that  makes 
the  reputation  of  an  article.  'The  recollection  of  qual- 
ity remains  long  after  the  price  is  forgotten/ 

"Value  is  merely  the  customer's  estimate  of  the 
worth  or  merit  of  the  article.  It  is  just  an  opinion. 
It  may  or  may  not  be  equal  to  the  real  worth  or  merit. 
Generally  it  is  not.  The  great  problem  of  Salesman- 
ship is  to  increase  the  customer's  appreciation  of  the 

92 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

value  until  the  desire  for  the  article  becomes  a  com- 
pelling desire,  and  leads  to  favorable  action.  We  are 
successful  salespeople  only  to  the  extent  that  we  can 
do  this. 

"Price  on  the  other  hand  is  the  manufacturer's 
estimate  of  the  amount  necessary  to  give  a  satisfactory 
return  for  capital  and  labor  expended,  plus  the  selling 
cost.  This  price  must  not  be  greater  than  the  real 
merit  of  the  article  and  if  a  larger  success  is  to  be  at- 
tained, the  price  must  be  less  than  the  real  worth.  If 
you  are  having  trouble  over  the  price  of  your  article, 
you  can  be  sure  that  the  trouble  is  due  to  imperfect 
methods  of  presenting  the  real  worth  of  the  article. 

"The  customer's  estimate  of  value  on  the  article 
depends  largely  upon  your  success  in  proving  to  her 
.  its  merits.  When  a  woman  says  the  price  is  too  high, 
she  compares  the  price  with  only  that  part  of  the  merit, 
or  worth,  that  she  has  come  to  appreciate.  What  she 
means  to  say  is  that  you  have  not,  as  yet,  shown  her 
sufficient  merit  to  justify  the  price  named.  Isn't  it 
clear  then  that  the  remedy  consists  in  showing  more 
merit — more  worth?  You  can  get  any  price  whatso- 
ever for  an  article  if  it  has  merit  to  justify  the  price. 

"The  saleswoman's  attitude  toward  the  question  of 
price  is  the  one  particular  point  that  surely  distin- 
guishes the  strong,  capable,  efficient  Saleswoman  from 

93 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

those  less  efficient.  This  question,  more  than  any  oth- 
er, serves  as  the  index  of  her  selling  ability.  If  the 
price  question  looms  up  large  on  the  horizon,  it  is  safe 
to  say  that  the  saleswoman  is  using  ineffective  methods 
of  presenting  the  merits  of  her  goods.  As  she  grows 
in  strength — as  she  improves  in  her  methods — the 
price  question  sinks  into  insignificance." — H.  C.  Dol- 
lison. 

Quite  often  DESIRE  to  purchase  will  be  awakened 
in  the  prospect  when  she  does  not  have  ready  money 
to  complete  the  sale  right  at  that  time.  When  such  a 
condition  arises,  insist  that  she  can  easily  borrow  the 
money  temporarily  from  one  of  her  neighbors.  Pro- 
vide yourself  with  a  knowledge  of  circumstances  where 
captains  of  industry  such  as  Carnegie  and  others  were 
forced  to  borrow  money  in  order  to  take  advantage  of 
some  exceptionally  good  opportunity.  Show  her  that 
by  promptly  getting  to  work  upon  your  proposition, 
she  will  speedily  liquidate  the  indebtedness.  If  it  is 
merely  for  the  purchase  of  an  article  which  you  are 
selling  for  future  delivery,  you  can  then,  of  course, 
point  out  to  her  the  fact  that  the  money  can  be  easily 
accumulated  by  the  time  you  are  ready  to  make  de- 
livery. If  you  are  a  Special  Representative  and  sell- 
ing an  Outfit,  and  it  is  necessary  for  the  prospect  to 
go  out  to  borrow  the  money,  insist  upon  going  with 

94 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

her.  The  reason  for  this  is  that  often  her  friend,  be- 
cause of  a  lack  of  a  full  and  complete  knowledge  of 
your  proposition,  may  throw  a  wet  blanket  upon  it, 
whereas,  if  you  were  there  you  can  readily  defend 
yourself  against  the  objections,  and  greatly  aid  in 
encouraging  the  loan. 

Often  times  a  Representative  is  confronted  in  the 
midst  of  a  sale  by  an  interruption  such  as  the  coming 
into  the  room  of  a  relative  or  friend.  The  most  sensi-/ 
ble  thing  to  do  in  such  a  case  is  to  get  back  to  the  be- 
ginning of  your  proposition  and  lead  the  caller  through 
the  steps  of  the  sale  with  your  prospect.  By  doing  so, 
you  disarm  the  caller  of  any  objections  she  might  oth- 
erwise offer.  Invariably  the  prospect  at  such  a  time 
asks  the  advice  of  the  friend,  when  pressed  for  AC- 
TION, and  you  can  readily  see  the  advantage  of  hav- 
ing this  friend's  endorsement.  When  talking  to  such 
a  party  as  the  unexpected  caller,  induce  her  to  com- 
mit herself  at  every  step  of  the  sale.  You  can  easily 
do  this  by  asking  her  a  line  of  questions  which  will 
lead  her  to  affirm  all  that  you  have  said  regarding  your 
proposition.  This  should  also  be  put  into  effect  with 
the  prospect.  Most  high  grade  saleswomen  welcome 
rather  than  deplore  the  uncermonious  call  of  such  a 
visitor. 


95 


CHAPTER  X. 
WHAT  TO  Do  WHEN  A  LICENSE  Is  REQUIRED. 

NOT  infrequently  a  Representative  going  into  an 
incorporated  town  or  city  to  ply  her  work  is 
confronted  by  the  proposition  that  she  must  secure  a 
License.  She  is  usually  intimidated  with  the  threat 
that  if  she  does  not  take  out  a  License  permitting  her 
to  solicit  orders  or  make  sales,  she  will  be  subjected  to 
arrest  and  fine. 

In  a  great  many  cases  where  an  attempt  is  made  to 
collect  such  license  fees,  the  act  is  illegal — in  others  it 
is  not.  Much  depends  upon  the  peculiar  manner  in 
which  you  conduct  your  work  and  also  in  the  residing 
place  of  business  of  the  Company  whom  you  represent. 

"The  laws  of  every  state  give  certain  municipalities 
and  communities  police  power  to  regulate  the  selling  of 
merchandise  in  their  midst.  This  purpose  is  sometimes 
accomplished  by  a  mercantile  tax,  by  special  tax  upon 
sales,  by  license,  or  otherwise.  The  laws  of  certain 
states  also  provide  that  foreign  corporations  must  reg- 
ister within  the  state  before  they  are  permitted  to  do 
business  therein.  There  is  a  long  line  of  decisions 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

supporting  the  proposition  that  no  foreign  corporation 
can  be  compelled  to  register  in  a  state  unless  the  cor- 
poration is  actually  doing  business  within  the  state 
which  seeks  to  require  registration. 

"The  words  'doing  business'  have  been  interpreted 
to  mean,  in  the  case  of  a  manufacturing  corporation, 
the  opening  of  its  manufacturing  establishment  and  the 
manufacture  of  its  goods.  A  corporation  that  does  not 
exercise  its  franchise  power  by  such  acts  in  any  state 
other  than  the  state  of  its  creation  is  not  'doing  busi- 
ness' in  any  foreign  state.  The  selling  of  goods  in  a 
state  outside  of  that  in  which  the  corporation  is 
organized  and  in  which  it  is  manufacturing  its  goods 
is  not  'doing  business'  but  is  engaged  in  Interstate 
Commerce."  If,  therefore,  the  company  which  you 
represent  has  its  place  of  business  outside  the  state  in 
which  license  is  demanded  and  is  engaged  in  Interstate 
Commerce  and  is  not  subject  to  registration  in  the  state 
where  license  is  demanded,  the  payment  of  the  same 
cannot  be  enforced. 

"Any  state  has  the  right  under  its  police  power  to 
pass  acts  regulating  the  commerce  within  its  borders, 
provided  such  acts  do  not  discriminate  against  the 
merchandise  of  foreign  manufacturers,  and  provided 
there  is  no  interference  with  Interstate  Commerce,  the 
regulation  of  which  commerce  is  subject  exclusively  to 

97 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Federal  jurisdiction.  It  has  been  definitely  decided 
that  a  tax  on  the  occupation  of  selling  an  article  im- 
ported only  for  sale  is  a  tax  on  the  article  itself.  Any 
tax  or  duty  which  would  be  repugnant  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States  when  levied  on  an  article 
itself,  is  equally  repugnant  when  imposed  upon  the 
occupation  of  selling  that  article." 

If  the  merchandise  which  you  are  selling  is  manu- 
factured outside  the  state  in  which  the  solicitation  for 
order  is  made,  you  simply  soliciting  orders  from  house 
to  house,  and  forwarding  those  orders  to  your  House 
for  manufacture  in  a  state  not  the  one  in  which  the 
order  was  taken,  then  you  are  not  amenable  for  any 
legal  License  violation.  It  is  evident  that  the  merchan- 
dise shipped  to  you  in  this  way  cannot  be  interpreted 
as  forming  an  integral  part  of  the  general  property  of 
the  state  in  which  the  order  was  taken.  Besides,  each 
separate  order  taken  has  been  secured  with  the  definite 
purpose  in  view  of  supplying  it  to  a  specific  purchaser. 

"The  Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States  has  un- 
qualifiedly laid  down  the  law  that  a  representative  of  a 
foreign  principal  who  negotiates  sales  by  sample  or 
otherwise  from  house  to  house  making  executory  con- 
tracts of  sale  for  goods  manufactured  in  other  states  is 
engaged  in  Interstate  Commerce  and  not  liable  for  the 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

payment  of  a  license  tax  imposed  by  the  authority  of 
the  state. 

"The  International  Correspondence  School  of 
Scranton,  Pa.,  has  had  this  matter  tested  within  the  last 
two  or  three  years  in  Kansas,  Missouri,  Wisconsin, 
Minnesota,  Illinois,  and  Colorado,  and  in  every  case  the 
court  has  held  that  the  company  is  engaged  in  Inter- 
state Commerce  and  as  such  it  is  not  amenable  to  the 
laws  and  regulations  of  any  community,  relative  to 
license." 

Test  cases  are  being  constantly  tried  out  in  different 
territories,  usually  resulting  in  a  victory  for  the  de- 
fendant. Several  months  ago  a  Representative  of  the 
Chicago  Portrait  Company  was  arrested  upon  such  a 
charge  in  a  prominent  Kansas  city.  A  fine  was  im- 
posed which  he  refused  to  pay.  The  authorities  con- 
fined him,  but  he  brought  action  against  the  city  and 
won  his  case. 

We  quote  herewith  several  test  cases  decided  in 
favor  of  the  Representative  which  can  be  of  valuable 
use  to  you  in  interpreting  the  law  to  any  local  officials 
who  may  seek  to  frighten  you  into  paying  an  unwar- 
rantable license.  Copy  these  so  that  you  have  them  in 
manuscript  form  for  instant  reference,  should  you  be 
molested.  Defy  them  in  the  face  of  these  established 

99 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

precedents  to  interfere  with  your  work,  and  generally 
they  will  let  you  alone. 

The  leading  cases  in  which  this  decision  has  been 
made  and  affirmed  are  as  follows : 

Robbins  vs.  The  Shelby  County  Taxing  District, 
120  U.  S.,  489  S.  C,  8  Supreme  Court  Rep.  592. 

Corson  vs.  Maryland,  120  U.  S.,  502  S.  C.,  7  Su- 
preme Court  Rep.  655. 

Ex  parte  Insley,  33  Fed.  Rep.  680. 

Simmons  Hardware  Co.  vs.  McGuire,  Second 
Southern  Rep.,  592. 

State  vs.  Pratt,  9  Atl.  Rep.  556. 


too 


CHAPTER  XL 
CONCLUSION. 

AN  old  saying  has  it,  "Every  stick  must  have  at 
least  two  ends."  It  is  analogous  that  every  book 
must  have  its  "Conclusion." 

In  some  books  a  severance  of  ties  occurs  long  be- 
fore "Conclusion"  is  reached ;  while  in  others  the  final 
chapter  causes  real  regret  that  the  end  is  near.  That 
you  are  right  now  reading  these  lines  furnishes  possi- 
ble evidence  that  you  have  followed  it  from  its  opening 
words. 

If  you  can  lean  back  in  your  chair  and  with  closed 
eyes,  reflectively  remember  some  page  or  pages,  some 
chapter  or  some  treatment  of  a  certain  phase  of  Sales- 
manship herein  that  has  been  helpful  to  you,  then  my 
efforts  have  not  been  in  vain.  Sheldon  says,  "She 
profits  most  who  serves  best."  I  have  kept  this  motto 
constantly  in  mind  during  the  preparation  of  this  vol- 
ume, fully  conscious  that  any  remuneration  accruing 
could  only  be  realized  upon  a  real  service  which  these 
chapters  may  have  rendered.  Granted  then  that  there 
is  an  infallible  law  which  always  metes  out  profit  com- 

101 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

mensurate  with  service,  time  will  tell,  if  letters  from 
my  readers  do  not,  whether  my  message,  as  I  had  it 
in  my  heart,  has  been  conveyed.  If  my  inexperience 
in  the  making  of  books  has  overshadowed  my  knowl- 
edge of  woman's  problems  in  salesmanship,  then  well 
may  I  deplore  the  effort  which  has  resulted  in  "Sales- 
manship for  Women." 

I  have  often  noticed  my  chickens  scratching  indus- 
triously at  a  litter  of  straw  to  reach  the  golden  grain 
buried  underneath.  Perhaps  it  has  been  necessary  for 
you  to  emulate  the  example  of  these  industrious  fowls 
by  scattering  the  litter  of  verbiage  that  may  have  con- 
cealed grains  of  wisdom,  garnered  from  my  years  of 
experience,  which  I  have  hoped  to  make  plain  in  these 
pages. 

Much  that  I  have  written  or  caused  to  be  printed 
herein  may  not  meet  with  your  ready  approbation. 
You  may  have  had  formed  previously  conceived  ideas 
upon  the  treatment  of  certain  phases  of  salesmanship 
which  you  now  find  difficult  to  reconcile  to  my  views. 
If  your  ideas  have  been  born  as  have  mine  from  years 
of  experience  handling  Saleswomen,  and  your  theories 
have  been  reduced  to  successful  practice — then  but  lit- 
tle other  than  an  additional  side-light  is  your  reward 
for  reading  this  book.  If,  however,  your  ideas  are  not 
the  residue  taken  from  the  caldron  of  experience, — 

102 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

then  I  ask  you  to  take  these  teachings  in  a  spirit  of 
faith  until  time  has  given  opportunity  to  test  their 
truthfulness. 


THE  END. 


103 


INSPIRATION 


INSPIRATION. 

POSSIBLY  in  no  other  profession  does  enthusiasm 
count  for  so  much  as  in  Salesmanship.  If  you 
are  to  bring  your  prospect  up  to  the  point  of  "Desire," 
it  is  self-evident  that  her  enthusiasm  in  the  article 
must  be  awakened  before  "Conviction"  is  secured,  to 
be  followed  by  "Action." 

I  have  shown  that  your  own  mental  state  tends  to 
induce  a  like  mental  state  upon  the  part  of  the  pros- 
pect. Therefore,  enthusiasm  begets  enthusiasm,  and 
the  reason  for  its  cultivation  and  use  is  apparent. 

But  it  is  not  only  in  the  actual  steps  of  building  a 
sale  that  enthusiasm  is  of  vital  importance  to  the  sales- 
worpan. 

Dark  days  come  in  every  line  of  endeavor  when 
all  our  best  plans  seem  upset, — our  best  thought  and 
work  to  be  of  no  avail.  During  these  dark  periods  of 
discouragement  our  finer  talents,  our  better  energies 
become  submerged  in  a  sea  of  despondency.  A  "don't- 
care-a-hang,"  "what's  the  use"  feeling  grips  us.  We 
get  ourselves  worked  up  into  such  a  condition  of  men- 
tal nausea  that  an  order  could  not  be  rightly  booked 
even  though  the  prospect  come  to  us  begging  that  we 

take  it. 

106 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

There  are  a  number  of  so-called  causes  responsible 
for  such  a  mental  attitude.  Poor  territory,  discourte- 
ous treatment,  delayed  shipments,  ill-health,  and  a 
number  of  others  are  seized  upon  as  provocation  for 
"blues." 

During  such  temperamental  disturbances,  many  a 
woman  makes  the  fatal  mistake  of  giving  up  the  work 
— dropping  her  proposition.  She  does  not  stop  to 
think  that  she  has  everything  to  gain  by  remaining 
upon  the  firing  line,  and  possibly  much  to  lose  by  giv- 
ing up.  No  one  can  afford  to  cultivate  a  vacillating  na- 
ture. If  upon  taking  up  the  work  you  resolved  it  was 
worth  while,  you  cannot  afford  to  weaken  your  ability 
to  stay  upon  the  track  of  your  resolutions. 

While  doubts,  fears, — "blues"  assail  you,  sit  down 
and  at  once  commence  an  analysis  of  the  situation  and 
of  yourself.  Try  to  remember  that  no  matter  how  de- 
pressing the  circumstances  may  be,  there  are  at  that 
very  moment  thousands  in  the  world  worse  off  than 
yourself.  Think  of  the  cripples — men  and  women 
maimed  for  life,  minus  limbs,  distorted  in  shape  of 
body,  who  are  each  day  uncomplainingly  earning  good 
livings  by  the  sheer  persistency  which  they  bestow 
upon  their  work.  Many  of  these  are  engaged  in  lines 
of  work  similar  to  your  own.  Where  Nature  or  cruel 
circumstances  has  imposed  limitations  upon  their  phys- 
io; 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ical  activities,  Salesmanship  offers  excellent  opportuni- 
ties to  make  money  by  exercise  of  brains.  Suppose 
they  gave  up  at  the  appearance  of  one  or  a  dozen  ob- 
stacles? What  else  would  be  left  them?  But  they 
don't  give  up — they  bore  right  through  the  obstruction, 
often  handicapped  by  the  loss  of  one  or  more  limbs. 

Yet,  here  are  you  with  average  good  health,  sound 
limbs,  your  ability  to  move  quickly  unhampered  by  any 
physical  paralysis, — here  are  you  with  your  whole  sys- 
tem saturated  with  the  vitriol  of  discouragement.  O, 
Fie !  where  is  your  grit,  your  energy  that  entitles  you 
to  be  called  an  American  ?  Away  with  the  blues !  They 
are  simply  distortions  of  your  sick  fancy,  and  exist 
only  in  your  mind.  Readjust  that  mental  attitude. 
Take  down  the  shutters  and  let  the  sunlight  of  opti- 
mism get  a  chance  to  shine  upon  your  befogged  ideas. 
Your  discouragements  are  simply  the  booming  of  big 
guns  being  trained  upon  the  stronghold  of  your  Self- 
confidence.  Are  you  going  to  become  a  skulker  in  the 
tent  until  cut  to  pieces,  or  a  soldier  ready  to  fight  for 
what  is  assuredly  yours?  Everything  worth  having 
rightfully  belongs  to  "the  survival  of  the  fittest." 

Brace  up!  Take  another  grip  upon  yourself  and 
be  the  master  of  your  destiny.  It  is  your  birthright. 
You  can  and  will  make  a  success  of  your  work  if  you 
WILL  TO  DO  SO. 

108 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Whenever  you  are  tempted  to  give  way  to  dis- 
couragement, turn  to  the  following  pages  and  drink 
in  inspiration.  These  are  optimistic  quotations  from 
men  and  women  who  have  proved  that  "no  obstacle  is 
so  great  but  that  there  is  a  way  around  it,  over  it,  or 
THROUGH  IT." 

The  author  has  taken  the  liberty  of  changing  some 
masculine  words  to  feminine,  that  the  application  might 
become  all  the  more  forcible  to  our  specific  needs.  For 
this  perhaps  unwarranted  liberty  she  owes  to  those 
authors  humble  apology.  It  is  here  offered. 


A  GOOD  CREED. 

"To  respect  my  work,  my  associates,  and  myself. 
To  be  honest  and  fair  with  them  as  I  expect  them  to 
be  honest  and  fair  with  me.  To  be  a  lady  whose  word 
carries  weight.  To  be  a  booster,  not  a  knocker;  a 
pusher,  not  a  kicker ;  a  motor,  not  a  clog. 

"To  have  my  expectations  of  regard  on  a  solid 
foundation  of  service  rendered;  to  be  willing  to  pay 
the  price  of  success  in  honest  effort.  To  look  upon 
my  work  as  opportunity  to  be  seized  with  joy  and 
made  the  most  of  and  not  as  painful  drudgery  to  be 
reluctantly  endured. 

"To  remember  that  success  lies  within  myself;  in 

109 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

my  own  brain,  my  own  ambition,  my  own  courage  and 
determination.  To  expect  difficulties  and  force  my 
way  through  them;  to  turn  hard  experience  into  capi- 
tal for  future  struggles. 

"To  interest  myself  heart  and  soul  in  my  work,  and 
aspire  to  the  highest  efficiency  in  the  achievement  of 
results.  To  be  patiently  receptive  of  just  criticism  and 
profit  by  its  teachings.  To  treat  equals  and  superiors 
with  respect,  and  subordinates  with  kindly  encourage- 
ment. 

"To  make  a  study  of  my  business  duties ;  to  know 
my  work  from  the  ground  up.  To  mix  with  my  brains 
my  efforts  and  use  system  and  method  in  all  I  under- 
take. To  find  time  to  do  everything  needful  by  never 
letting  time  find  me  doing  nothing.  To  hoard  days  as 
a  miser  does  dollars ;  to  make  every  hour  bring  me 
dividends  in  specific  results  accomplished.  To  steer 
clear  of  dissipation  and  guard  my  health  and  body 
and  peace  of  mind  as  my  most  precious  stock  of 
trade. 

"Finally,  to  take  a  good  grip  on  the  joy  of  life;  to 
play  the  game  like  a  lady;  to  fight  against  nothing  so 
hard  as  my  own  weakness,  and  endeavor  to  grow  in 
business  capacity  and  as  a  lady,  with  the  passage  of 
every  day  of  time." — Dry  Goods  Reporter. 

no 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"Begin  the  morning  by  saying  to  thyself,  I  shall 
meet  this  day  with  the  busybody,  the  ungrateful,  the 
arrogant,  deceitful,  envious,  unsocial.  All  these  things 
happen  to  them  by  reason  of  their  ignorance  of  what 
is  good  and  evil.  But  I  who  have  seen  the  nature  of 
the  good  that  is  beautiful,  and  of  the  bad  that  is 
ugly,  can  neither  be  injured  by  any  of  them — for  no 
one  can  fix  on  me  what  is  ugly — nor  can  I  be  angry 
with  my  neighbor,  nor  hate  him.  We  are  made  for 
co-operation;  to  act  against  one  another,  that  is  con- 
trary to  nature ;  and  it  is  acting  against  one  another  to 
be  vexed  and  turn  away." — Marcus  Aurelius. 


"It  ain't  no  use  to  grumble  and  complain, 
It's  just  as  cheap  and  easy  to  rejoice; 

When  God  sorts  out  the  weather  and  sends  rain, 
Why,  rain's  my  choice." 

— James  Whitcomb  Riley. 


"Luck  is  of  your  own  making.  Luck  means  rising 
at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  living  on  one  dollar  a 
day  if  you  can  make  two,  minding  your  own  business 
and  not  meddling  with  other  people's.  Luck  means 
the  appointments  you  have  never  failed  to  keep,  the 
trains  you  have  never  failed  to  catch.  Luck  means 

in 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

trusting  God  and  in  your  own  resources — a  religion 
whose  motto  is  'Help  yourself  and  Heaven  will  help 
you/  Luck  comes  to  those  who  help  themselves  and 
know  how  to  wait." — Max  O'Rell. 


"Most  house  to  house  salesladies  have  to  with- 
stand a  great  amount  of  temptation.  They  may  work 
for  an  hour  or  so  and  not  do  any  business.  Feeling 
somewhat  tired  and  discouraged,  the  friendly  looking 
ice  cream  saloon,  or  restaurant,  tempts  them  immoder- 
ately, and  almost  unconsciously  they  drift  into  one  of 
these  places  and  sit  down  and  loaf — wasting  and  frit- 
tering away  the  precious  minutes  which  should  be  de- 
voted to  going  after  business.  In  many  cases  they  loaf 
under  guise  of  visiting  homes. 

"Also  house  to  house  salesladies  are  often  satisfied 
with  too  small  a  measure  of  success.  They  will  start 
out  in  the  morning,  making  perhaps  ten  dollars  by 
noon,  and  then  figure  that  they  have  made  enough 
money  for  the  day.  They  forget  that  a  woman's  in- 
come should  be  as  large  as  she  can  possibly  make  it, 
and  that  it  is  wise  to  make  hay  while  the  sun  is  shining. 

"A  saleslady,  also,  usually  spends  three  or  four 
times  as  much  while  she  is  loafing  as  during  the  time 
she  keeps  busy.  There  is  nothing  that  hurts  a  sales- 
lady so  much  as  idleness.  Fully  ninety  per  cent  of  the 

112 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

downfalls  of  salesladies  of  any  class  are  not  to  be  at- 
tributed to  lack  of  selling  talent,  but  to  some  malign 
influence  which  induces  them  to  idle  away  their  time. 

"The  house  to  house  saleslady  is  very  often  tempt- 
ed to  get  orders  by  methods  that  are  not  above  board. 
Indeed,  sales  managers  assert  that  there  are  many 
salesladies  who  cannot  possibly  be  induced  to  go  back 
to  a  customer  they  have  once  sold.  They  will  not  be 
present  at  the  time  of  delivery  of  the  goods  sold,  nor 
can  they  ask  a  customer  of  theirs  for  the  names  of 
prospective  buyers." 


"Master  of  human  destinies  am  I! 

Fame,  love  and  fortune  on  my  footsteps  wait. 

Cities  and  fields  I  walk;  I  penetrate 

Deserts  and  seas  remote,  and  passing  by 

Hovel  and  mart  and  palace — soon  or  late 

I  knock  unbidden  once  at  every  gate. 

If  sleeping,  wake — if  feasting,  rise  before 

I  turn  away.    It  is  the  hour  of  fate. 

And  they  who  follow  me  reach  every  state 

Mortals  desire,  and  conquer  every  foe 

Save  death ;  but  those  who  doubt  or  hesitate, 

Condemned  to  failure,  penury  and  woe, 

Seek  me  in  vain  and  uselessly  implore ; 

I  answer  not  and  I  return  no  more." 

— John  ] .  Ingalls. 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

ALL  IN  THE  STATE  OF  MIND. 

If  you  think  you're  beaten  you  are. 

If  you  think  you  dare  not  you  don't. 
If  you'd  like  to  win,  but  think  you  can't 

It's  almost  a  cinch  you  won't. 
If  you  think  you'll  lose,  you've  lost, 

For  out  in  the  world  you'll  find 
Success  begins  with  a  woman's  will. 

Its  all  in  the  state  of  mind. 

Full  many  a  race  is  lost 

Ere  ever  a  step  is  run; 
And  many  a  coward  falls 

Ere  ever  her  work's  begun. 
Think  big  and  your  deeds  will  grow, 

Think  small,  and  you'll  fall  behind, 
Think  that  you  can  and  you  will. 

It's  all  in  the  state  of  mind. 

If  you  think  you're  outclassed,  you  are; 

You've  got  to  think  high  to  rise, 
You've  got  to  be  sure  of  yourself  before 

You  can  ever  win  a  prize. 
Life's  battles  don't  always  go 

To  the  stronger  or  faster  one, 
But  soon  or  late  the  woman  who  wins 

Is  she  who  the  task  begun. 

(Apologies  for  changes.)  —Author    UnkHOWH. 

114 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Every  particle  of  progress  that  has  ever  been  made 
has  been  the  product  of  individuals  who  have  love  for 
their  work  and  who,  by  loving  their  work,  have 
climbed  above  the  mass,  and,  by  climbing  themselves, 
have  developed  power  to  stand. — James  Logan. 


"Smile  the  smile  of  success; 

Think  only  thoughts  that  are  sure ; 
Figure  the  figures  of  actual  facts ; 

Move  but  the  Move  that's  secure. 

Smile  reality  smiles; 

Think  only  honesty's  speech; 
Look  with  one  eye  as  far  as  the  sky, 

Look  with  one  where  you  can  reach. 

Smile  inside  of  your  smiles ; 

Think  only  things  you  would  see ; 
Choose  only  friends  who  have  won  the  same  ends ; 

Failures  ?    Just  let  them  all  be. 

Smile  your  smile  into  things — 

Food  and  clothing  to  bless ; 
Think  every  one  into  good  in  your  plan — 

These  are  real  keys  of  success." — Quoted. 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"I  don't  want  to  convey  the  idea  that  new  things 
should  be  rushed  into  without  any  consideration.  No 
thought  in  such  matters  is  worse  than  too  much 
thought.  The  wise  woman  will  investigate  and  study 
well  each  new  undertaking  before  she  engages  it.  She 
will  weigh  very  carefully  the  chances  of  success  over 
failure  and  then  decide  and  once  her  decision  is  made, 
she  will  stick  to  it.  If  the  decision  is  favorable  to  the 
attempt,  she  will  cast  to  the  wind  all  further  hesita- 
tion and  doubt  and  devote  herself  heart  and  soul  to 
the  task.  There  will  be  no  turning  back,  no  weak 
vacillation,  but  a  determined  resolution  to  put  the  thing 
through  to  a  successful  conclusion. 

"Let  it  be  remembered,  new  things  do  not  usually 
succeed  at  the  start.  There  is  generally  a  lot  of  dis- 
appointment and  grief  mixed  up  with  them  before 
they  are  made  to  go.  And  here  comes  the  test  of 
pluck.  The  average  woman  lets  go  too  soon.  Dis- 
couragement and  disappointment  force  her  out.  It's 
the  woman  with  confidence  and  pluck  that  hangs  on. 

"It's  wonderful  how  great  is  the  power  of  pluck. 
Every  woman  who  has  conquered  success,  in  whatever 
calling,  has  possessed  it.  She  has  been  full  of  the 
courage  to  do,  and  the  pluck  and  nerve  to  hang  on 
until  it  is  done." — Walter  H.  Cottingham,  in  System. 


116 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"The  human  Will,  that  force  unseen, 
The  offspring  of  a  deathless  Soul, 
Can  hew  a  way  to  any  goal, 

Though  walls  of  granite  intervene." 


IT  CAN  BE  DONE. 

Somebody  said  that  it  couldn't  be  done, 

But  she,  with  a  chuckle,  replied 
That  "maybe  it  couldn't"  but  she  would  be  one 

Who  wouldn't  say  so  till  she'd  tried. 
So  she  buckled  right  in,  with  the  trace  of  a  grin 

On  her  face.    If  she  worried,  she  hid  it. 
She  started  to  sing  as  she  tackled  the  thing 

That  couldn't  be  done,  and  SHE  DID  IT. 
Somebody  scoffed:  "Oh,  you'll  never  do  that; 

At  least  no  one  ever  has  done  it." 
But  she  took  off  her  coat  and  she  took  off  her  hat, 

And  the  first  thing  we  knew  she's  begun  it ; 
With  the  lift  of  her  chin,  and  a  bit  of  a  grin, 

Without  any  doubting  or  quiddit ; 
She  started  to  sing  as  she  tackled  the  thing 

That  couldn't  be  done,  and  SHE  DID  IT. 
There  are  thousands  to  tell  you  it  cannot  be  done, 

There  are  thousands  to  prophesy  failure ; 

117 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

There  are  thousands  to  point  out  to  you,  one  by  one, 
The  dangers  that  wait  to  assail  you; 

But  just  buckle  in  with  a  bit  of  a  grin, 

Then  take  off  your  coat  and  GO  TO  IT ; 

Just  start  in  to  sing  as  you  tackle  the  thing 

That  "cannot  be  done,"  and  YOU'LL  DO  IT. 
— Author  Unknown. 


"KEEP-A-GOIN'." 

"If  you  strike  a  thorn  or  rose,  keep-a-goin J ; 

If  it  hails,  or  if  it  snows,  keep-a-goin' ; 
'Tis  no  use  to  sit  and  whine 
When  the  fish  ain't  on  your  line — 

Bait  your  hook  and  keep-a-tryin' — keep-a-goin '. 

When  you  tumble  from  the  top — keep-a-goin', 
When  it  looks  like  all  is  up — keep-a-goin', 

Suppose  you  haven't  got  a  dime 

Gettin'  broke  aint  any  crime — 
Fortune  favors  pluck  sublime — keep-a-goin'." 

— Quoted. 


There  is  a  tremendous  power  in  the  habit  of  ex- 
pectancy, the  conviction  that  we  shall  realize  our  am- 
bition; that  our  dreams  shall  come  true.  There  is  no 

118 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

uplifting  habit  like  that  of  carrying  an  expectant,  hope- 
ful attitude,  of  expecting  that  our  heart  yearnings  will 
be  matched  with  realities ;  that  things  are  going  to  turn 
out  well  and  not  ill ;  that  we  are  going  to  succeed ;  that 
no  matter  what  may  or  may  not  happen  we  are  going 
to  be  happy. — Success. 


Far  and  away  the  best  prize  that  life  offers  is  the 
chance  to  work  hard  at  work  worth  doing. — Roosevelt. 


Let  your  customer  know  that  a  personal  interest 
attaches  to  him — a  real  personal  interest  that  is  not 
measured  wholly  by  his  orders  and  his  dollars — and 
you  will  win  in  return  that  close  personal  association 
and  active  support  that  builds  up  business. — George  H. 
Barbour. 


Success  is  the  hand  trained  to  do  its  work, 
The  eye  that  sees  that  the  lines  run  true, 

The  ear  that  hears  when  the  truth  you  shirk, 
The  brain  that  conceives  old  truths  anew. 

Success  is  the  strife  with  the  heart  aglow, 

The  effort  we  make  for  our  fellow-man, 
The  pride  that  laughs  at  the  outer  show, 
The  soul  that  fulfills  its  highest  plan. 

— New  York  Independent. 
119 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Show  me  a  house  where  ail  the  employees  are  edu- 
cated to  think  kindly  of  the  customers,  so  that  in 
speaking  of  them  even  they  use  courteous  phrases, 
and  I  can  safely  predict  for  that  house  a  rapid  and 
continuous  success  so  long  as  that  policy  prevails. 

— Daniel  Louis  Hanson. 


To  say  'Til  try"  is  good  intent 

And  maybe  fills  the  bill, 
But  he  who  makes  the  most  in  life 

Has  always  said,  "I  will." — Beach. 


A  good  way  to  rid  one's  self  of  a  sense  of  discom- 
fort is  to  do  something.  That  uneasy,  dissatisfied 
feeling  is  actual  force  vibrating  out  of  order ;  it  may  be 
turned  to  practical  account  by  giving  proper  expres- 
sion to  its  creative  character. — William  Morris. 


Write  on  your  doors  the  saying  wise  and  old, 

"Be  bold !  Be  bold !"  and  everywhere— "Be  bold  ; 
Be  not  too  bold !"    Yet  better  the  excess 

Than  the  defeat ;  better  the  more  than  the  less ; 
Better  like  Hector  in  the  field  to  die, 

Than  like  a  perfumed  Paris  turn  and  fly. 

— Longfellow. 
120 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

The  fortunate  circumstances  of  our  lives  are  gener- 
ally found  to  be  of  our  own  producing. — Goldsmith. 


There  is  a  tide  in  the  affairs  of  men, 

Which,  taken  at  the  flood,  leads  on  to  fortune ; 

Omitted,  all  the  voyage  of  their  life 

Is  bound  in  shallows  and  in  miseries ; 

And  we  must  take  the  current  when  it  serves, 

Or  lose  our  ventures. — Shakespeare. 


Verily,  brethren,  a  heap  of  you  fail  because,  seri- 
ously, you  try  to  drive  a  golden  spike  with  a  ten-cent 
hammer. — Beach. 


Defend  me,  therefore,  common  sense,  say  I, 

From  reveries  so  airy,  from  the  toil 

Of  dropping  buckets  into  empty  wells, 

And  growing  old  in  drawing  nothing  up. — Gowper. 


Within  yourself  lies  the  cause  of  whatever  enters 
into  your  life.  To  come  into  the  realization  of  your 
own  awakened  powers  is  to  be  able  to  condition  your 
life  in  exact  accord  with  what  you  would  have  it. 

— Emerson. 

121 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Present  opportunities  are  not  to  be  neglected- 
they  rarely  visit  us  twice. — Voltaire. 


"And  those  who  dream  too  long  or  much, 
Must  waken,  shivering,  at  his  touch, 
With  naught  to  show  for  vanished  hours, 
But  dust  of  dreams  and  withered  flowers." 

— Quoted. 


THE  WOMAN  WHO  WINS. 

The  woman  who  wins  is  an  average  woman ; 

Not  built  on  any  peculiar  plan, 

Not  blessed  with  any  peculiar  luck ; 

Just  steady  and  earnest  and  full  of  pluck. 

When  asked  a  question  she  does  not  "guess" — 
She  knows,  and  answers  "No"  or  "Yes ;" 
When  set  a  task  that  the  rest  can't  do, 
She  buckles  down  till  she's  put  it  through. 

Three  things  she  learned ;  that  the  woman  who  tries 
Finds  favor  in  her  employer's  eyes; 
That  it  pays  to  know  more  than  one  thing  well ; 
And  it  doesn't  pay  all  she  knows  to  tell. 

122 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

So  she  works  and  works ;  till  one  fine  day 
There's  a  better  job  with  bigger  pay, 
And  the  women  who  shirked  whenever  they  could 
Are  bossed  by  the  woman  whose  work  made  good. 

For  the  woman  who  wins  is  the  woman  who  works 
Who  neither  trouble  nor  labor  shirks, 
Who  uses  her  hands,  her  head,  her  eyes ; 
The  woman  who  wins  is  the  woman  who  tries. 
— Charles  R.  Barrett,  in  Welfare  News. 


What  attacts  my  attention  shall  have  it,  as  I  will 
go  to  the  woman  who  knocks  at  my  door,  whilst  a 
thousand  persons  as  worthy  go  by  it,  to  whom  I  give 
no  regard. — Emerson. 


Discontent  is  the  want  of  self-reliance;  it  is  in- 
firmity of  will.  Regret  calamities,  if  you  can  thereby 
help  the  sufferers;  if  not,  attend  to  your  own  work 
and  already  the  evil  begins  to  be  repaired.  Our  sym- 
pathy is  just  as  base.  We  come  to  them  who  weep 
foolishly  and  sit  down  and  cry  for  company,  instead 
of  imparting  to  them  truth  and  health  in  rough  electric 
shocks,  putting  them  once  more  in  communication  with 
their  own  reason.  The  secret  of  fortune  is  joy  in  our 
hands . — Emerson . 

123 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

PROCRASTINATION  IS  YOUR  ENEMY. 
Don't  let  it  persuade  you  to  put  off  until  to-morrow 
what  you  can  do  to-day.  Remember,  there  is  nothing 
like  being  right  up  to  time  with  your  work.  Don't  sad- 
dle to-day's  duty  upon  to-morrow.  If  you  do,  you  will 
push  some  of  to-morrow's  duties  out  of  the  saddle. 
"It's  the  going-to-do  who  never  gets  it  done."  Don't 
say :  "It  makes  no  difference.  I  will  do  it  to-morrow." 
It  does  make  a  big  difference. 

"For  the  man  who  is  up  and  coming, 
And  who  keeps  the  wheels  a  humming, 
Is  the  man  who  cuts  'to-morrow'  from  his  cry." 
SET  A  SCHEDULE  for  yourself,  like  a  teacher 
or  clerk — certain  hours  for  work — and  keep  schedule 
time. — Spirella  Monthly. 


Do  little  things  now ;  so  shall  big  things  come  to 
thee  by-and-by  asking  to  be  done. — Persian  Proverb. 


Let  our  life  be  one  of  action, 

Our  one  aim  to  reach  the  top ; 
With  endurance  and  ability, 

Need  we  falter?    Need  we  stop? 
Each  of  us  has  his  own  value, 

Yearn  to  put  it  to  the  test  ; 
Concentration  of  our  powers, 

Ought  to  lead  us  to  Success. — Donahue. 
124 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"To  become  successful  and  make  your  life  worth 
while  it  is  not  necessary  to  have  extraordinary  ability 
to  begin  with.  It  is  only  necessary  to  use  fully,  posi- 
tively and  constructively  what  ability  you  already  pos- 
sess."— Quoted. 


"You  may  have  all  the  learning  professors  can  give, 

But  hark  ye,  my  son,  'tis  a  fact, 
That  despised  and  outcast  you'll  be  sentenced  to  live 

If  you  aren't  a  person  of  tact. 

"Observe  and  you'll  find,  as  you  journey  along, 
That  every  sane  man  has  a  soft  spot  somewhere ; 

Find  out  its  location,  and  then  go  in  strong. 
To  tickle  the  gentleman  there. 

"Now,  if  a  Sale  you  would  make, 
Where  the  lady's  unkind  or  gruff, 

Just  smooth  her  down  right,  and  her  order  you'll  take- 
But  you  can't,  if  you  answer  her  rough. 

"To  her  harshness  and  frowns,  return  her  a  smile. 

Don't  notice  her  bad  temper.    In  fact, 
Speak  well  of  her  flowers,  her  home  or  her  child — 
Win  her  order  and  friendship  by  Tact." 

— Quoted. 
125 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

In  works  of  labor,  or  of  skill, 

I  would  be  busy  too, 
For  Satan  finds  some  mischief  still 

For  idle  hands  to  do. — Watts. 


There  is  no  royal  road  to  anything.  One  thing  at 
a  time,  all  things  in  succession.  That  which  grows  fast, 
withers  as  rapidly.  That  which  grows  slowly  endures. 

— Holland. 


A  woman  who  has  nothing  to  do  is  the  devil's  play- 
fellow. She  has  no  choice  in  the  matter.  She  can  find 
no  sympathy  anywhere  else.  Good  women  find  noth- 
ing in  her  congenial. — /.  G.  Holland. 


Your  whole  thought  current  must  be  set  in  the  di- 
rection of  your  life  purpose.  The  great  miracles  of 
civilization  are  wrought  by  thought  concentration.  Live 
in  the  very  soul  of  expectation  of  better  things,  in  the 
conviction  that  something  large,  grand,  and  beautiful 
will  await  you  if  your  efforts  are  intelligent,  your  mind 
is  kept  in  a  creative  condition,  and  you  struggle  up- 
ward to  your  goal.  Live  in  the  conviction  that  you  are 
eternally  progressing,  advancing  toward  something 
higher,  better,  in  every  atom  of  your  being. — Success. 

126 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Training  is  every  thing.  The  peach  was  once  a  bit- 
ter almond;  cauliflower  is  nothing  but  cabbage  with  a 
college  education. — Mark  Twain. 


"How  few  people  realize  the  possibility  of  mental 
achievement,  the  fact  that  everything  is  created  by  the 
mind  first,  before  it  becomes  a  material  reality.  If  we 
were  better  mental  builders  we  should  be  infinitely 
better  material  builders." — Quoted. 


"Tact  teaches  you  when  to  be  silent,  as  well  as 
when  to  speak." — Disraeli. 


Yesterday  is  gone.  We  can't  change  it.  But  to- 
day is  here.  Let's  improve  it  and  put  pleasant  things 
in  our  bank  of  life,  that  we  may  draw  upon  in  after 
years. — Spirella  Monthly. 


If  you  live  in  an  attitude  of  mental  rising  above 
these  adverse  conditions,  of  meeting  them  in  a  positive 
frame  of  mind,  instead  of  always  expecting  the  worst, 
your  body  and  mind  will  become  polarized  and  poised 
in  positive  vibrations.  Your  power  to  accomplish 
things  will  be  increased,  your  faith  will  expand,  and 
your  happiness  in  living  will  be  multiplied  many  fold. 

— The  Nautilus. 
127 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

"The  majority  of  people  who  are  a  failure  in  life 
are  so  because  they  never  learn  to  guard  and  strength- 
en their  weak  points.  To  correct  deficiencies,  remedy 
defective  faculties,  overcome  peculiarities,  and  bring 
the  mind  into  symmetry  and  poise  so  that  it  will  ex- 
press its  maximum  of  power,  will  form  a  large  part  of 
the  education  of  the  future." — Quoted. 


"When  you  have  a  perplexing  day,  when  things 
have  gone  wrong  with  you  and  you  go  home  at  night 
exhausted,  discouraged,  blue,  instead  of  making  your- 
self miserable  by  going  over  your  troubles  and  trials, 
just  bury  them;  instead  of  dragging  them  home  and 
making  yourself  and  your  family  unhappy  with  them 
and  spoiling  the  whole  evening,  just  lock  everything 
that  is  disagreeable  in  your  office." — Quoted. 


Our  mental  attitude,  our  heart's  desire,  is  our 
prayer  which  Nature  answers.  She  takes  it  for  grant- 
ed that  we  desire  what  we  are  headed  toward,  and  she 
helps  us  to  it.  People  little  realize  that  their  desires 
are  their  perpetual  prayer — not  heard  prayers  but 
heart  prayers — and  that  they  are  granted. — Success. 


The  more  interest  you  take  in  your  work,  the  more 
you  will  take  out. — Wall  Street  Journal. 

128 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

As  to  enthusiasm;  a  woman  might  have  honesty, 
health,  ability,  initiative,  knowledge  of  business,  tact, 
sincerity,  industry,  and  open-mindedness,  and  without 
enthusiasm  she  would  be  only  a  statue.  Enthusiasm 
is  the  whiteheat  that  fuses  all  of  these  qualities  into 
one  effective  mass. — Hugh  Chalmers. 


All  men  who  have  achieved  great  things  have  been 
dreamers,  and  what  they  have  accomplished  has  been 
just  in  proportion  to  the  vividness,  the  energy  and  per- 
sistency with  which  they  visualized  their  ideal ;  held  to 
their  dreams  and  struggled  to  make  them  come  true. 

— Success. 


Our  visions  are  the  plans  of  the  possible  life  struc- 
ture; but  they  will  end  in  plans  if  we  do  not  follow 
them  up  with  a  vigorous  effort  to  make  them  real; 
just  as  the  architect's  plans  will  end  in  his  drawings  if 
they  are  not  followed  up  and  made  real  by  the  builder. 

— Success. 


The  world  generally  gives  its  admiration  not  to 
the  woman  who  does  what  nobody  else  attempts  to  do, 
but  to  the  woman  who  does  best  what  multitudes  do 
well. — Macaulay. 

129 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

LAUGH  IT  OFF. 

Are  you  worsted  in  the  fight? 

Laugh  it  off. 
Are  you  cheated  of  your  right? 

Laugh  it  off. 

Don't  make  tragedy  of  trifles, 
Don't  shoot  butterflies  with  rifles — 

Laugh  it  off. 

Does  your  work  get  into  kinks? 

Laugh  it  off. 
Are  you  near  all  sorts  of  brinks  ? 

Laugh  it  off. 
If  it's  sanity  you're  after, 
There's  no  recipe  like  laughter — 

Laugh  it  off. — Eliot. 


Bad  will  be  the  day  for  every  man  when  he  be- 
comes absolutely  contented  with  the  life  that  he  is 
living,  with  the  thoughts  that  he  is  thinking,  with  the 
deeds  that  he  is  doing ;  when  there  is  not  forever  beat- 
ing at  the  doors  of  his  soul  some  great  desire  to  do 
something  larger,  which  he  knows  that  he  was  meant 
and  made  to  do  because  he  is  still,  in  spite  of  all,  the 
child  of  God. — Philip  Brooks. 

130 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

Fear  in  all  its  different  phases  of  expression,  such 
as  worry,  anxiety,  anger  or  timidity,  is  the  greatest 
enemy  of  the  human  race.  It  has  robbed  man  of  more 
happiness  and  efficiency,  has  committed  suicide  upon 
more  years  of  his  life,  has  made  more  men  cowards, 
more  people  failures  or  forced  them  into  mediocrity, 
than  anything  else. — Success. 


This  is  the  best  day  the  world  has  ever  seen.    To- 
morrow will  be  better. — R.  A.  Campbell. 


DELIVER  THE  GOODS. 

The  world  will  buy  largely  of  anyone  who 

Can  deliver  the  goods. 
It  is  ready  and  eager  to  barter  if  you 

Can  deliver  the  goods. 

But  don't  take  its  order  and  make  out  the  bill 
Unless  you  are  sure  you'll  be  able  to  fill 
Your  contract,  because  it  won't  pay  you  until 

You  deliver  the  goods. — Nixon  Waterman. 


Carry  yourself  with  a  self-confident  air,  an  air  of 
self-assurance,  and  you  will  not  only  inspire  others 
with  a  belief  in  your  strength,  but  you  will  come  to 
believe  in  it  yourself. — Quoted. 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

DR.  CHEERUP. 

Call  in  old  Dr.   Cheerup  when  the  clouds  begin  to 

thicken ; 

He  can  help  you  if  you'll  give  him  half  a  chance. 
When  you  leave  your  food  untasted  and  your  heart 

begins  to  sicken, 

When  your  mirror  shows  a  dullness  in  your  glance, 
Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup,  with  his  look  of  healthful  joy 
And  his  never- failing  greeting:  "Ho!     Why,  you're 
all  right,  my  boy!" 

Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup  when  the  girl  has  left  you 

lonely ; 

He  can  give  you  the  prescription  which  you  need. 
Do  not  sit  alone,  supposing  that  unceasing  sadness 

only 

Shall  come  plaguing  you  wherever  you  proceed ; 
Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup,  with  his  never-failing  smile — 
He  will  help  you  to  forget  her  in  a  very  little  while. 

Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup  when  your  hopes  have  been 

defeated, 

When  others  have  upset  your  dearest  plan — 
When,  after  patient  efforts,  you  have  cruelly  been 

cheated 

Of  the  triumph  that  is  dear  to  every  man. 
Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup,  who  can  quickly  make  it  plain 

132 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

That  a  million  reasons  urge  you  to  take  heart  and  try 
again. 

Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup  when  you  hear  the  people 

shouting 

For  your  rival,  who  is  favored  with  good  luck ; 
He  can  quickly  give  you  something  that  will  cure  you 

of  the  doubting 

That  has  caused  you  to  forget  the  need  of  pluck. 
Call  in  old  Dr.  Cheerup,  with  his  never-failing  joy, 
And  his  hearty,   wholesome  greeting:   "Ho!     Why. 
you're  all  right,  my  boy !" — 5\  E.  Kiser. 


SPARE  MOMENTS  AND  SUCCESS. 

The  way  to  do  a  thing  is  to  go  and  do  it.  If  there 
is  a  particularly  disagreeable  task  before  you,  begin 
with  that,  and  so  save  yourself  several  hours  of 
dread,  aside  from  having  it  done  the  sooner.  The  men 
who  have  succeeded  in  life  have  been  able  to  turn  the 
spare  moments,  which  most  of  us  frivol  away,  into 
productive  work  or  thought. 

Even  in  one's  hours  of  relaxation  one  often  meets 
with  an  idea,  in  reading  or  conversation,  which  would 
be  valuable  if  stored  away.  Instead  it  is  often  for- 
gotten. Make  note  of  it  in  your  mind  at  the  time,  put 
it  on  paper  at  the  first  opportunity. — Swett. 

133 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

BOOST  A  BIT. 

"Here !    you  discontented  knocker, 

Growlin'  'bout  the  country's  ills ; 
Chloroform  yer  dismal  talker; 

Take  a  course  o'  liver-pills. 
Stop  yer  durn  ki-o-tee  howlin', 

Chaw  some  sand  an'  git  some  grit ; 
Don't  sit  in  the  dumps  a-growlin'. 

Jump  the  roost 
An'  boost 
A  bit! 

Fall  in  while  the  band's  a  playin', 

Ketch  the  step  an'  march  along — 
'Stead  o'  pessimistic  brayin', 

Jine  the  hallelujah  song! 
Drop  yer  hammer — do  some  rootin' — 

Grab  a  horn,  you  cuss,  and  split 
Every  echo  with  yer  tootin' — 

Jump  the  roost 
An'  boost 

A  bit!"—  Quoted. 


The  victory  of  success  is  half  won  when  one  gains 
the  habit  of  work. — Sarah  K.  Bolton. 

134 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

JUST  KEEP  ON  KEEPIN'  ON. 

"If  the  day  looks  kinder  gloomy 

An'  your  chances  kinder  slim; 
If  the  situation's  puzzlin' 

An'  the  prospects  awful  grim 
An'  perplexities  keep  pressin' 

Till  all  hope  is  nearly  gone, 
Jus'  bristle  up,  and  grit  your  teeth 

An'  keep  on  keepin'  on. 

Fumin'  never  wins  a  fight 

An'  f  rettin'  never  pays ; 
There  ain't  no  good  in  broodin'  in 

These  pessimistic  ways — 
Smile  jus'  kinder  cheerfully 

When  hope  is  nearly  gone. 
An'  bristle  up,  and  grit  your  teeth, 

An'  keep  on  keepin'  on. 

There  ain't  no  use  in  growlin' 

An'  grumblin'  all  the  time 
When  music's  ringing'  everywhere, 

An'  everything's  a  rhyme — 
Jus'  keep  on  smilin'  cheerfully. 

If  hope  is  nearly  gone, 
An'  bristle  up,  an'  grit  your  teeth, 

An'  keep  on  keepin3  on" — Quoted. 

135 


Salesmanship  for  Women. 

When  you  get  into  a  tight  place  and  everything 
goes  against  you,  till  it  seems  you  could  not  hold  on  a 
minute  longer,  never  give  up  then,  for  that's  just  the 
place  and  time  that  the  tide'll  turn. 

— Harriet  Beecher  Stowe. 


136 


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